A Leesburg woman who was arrested for stealing food from the Publix deli received extra charges for a narcotic found on her person.
An officer responded to Publix at Palm Plaza at 717 N 14th St., regarding retail theft around 8:50 a.m. Wednesday, May 20, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch advised that 29-year-old Selena Korren Perry and an unidentified man had stolen food from the store. The former left on foot while the latter used a bicycle.
A customer service manager had seen the two collecting food from the deli before heading toward the front of the store. They left without paying, so the manager approached them to ask for the food back. Perry claimed they paid for the food online and walked past the manager, the report said.
Her male companion then gathered his bicycle and fled with some of the food as Perry headed south with the rest of it. The manager did not know exactly how much had been stolen, but she knew miscellaneous bakery items, Boar’s Head mini sandwiches, potato salad, a drink and soup were missing. She estimated that $35 to $45 worth of food was stolen, the report said.
Law enforcement searched the immediate area and the pair’s directions of travel without success. Another officer was able to identify Perry from a previous contact with her, the report said.
Now knowing who she was, officers recognized Perry the following night as she walked near North Oakland and High Street. They had probable cause for her arrest and searched her person. She admitted to having fentanyl in her possession, the report said.
The officers ultimately found three pieces of torn foil, all of which contained burnt narcotic residue, and a cut straw with burnt narcotic residue. They also found a coin pouch with currency and a small zip-top style baggie of white powdery residue. This tested positive for fentanyl and weighed 0.29 grams, the report said.
Perry was arrested on charges of retail theft (less than $750), retail theft (resist merchant), possession of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia (possess or use).