A homeless woman in Leesburg and her male cohort were caught trying to steal bras and a beard trimmer from Marshalls.
An officer responded to Marshalls, located at 919 N 14th St., regarding retail theft at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, July 7, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. A loss prevention associate advised that 36-year-old Renisha Annette Wallace and 44-year-old Keith Simpkins tried to leave without paying for items they had hidden on their persons.
While en route, the officer learned Wallace had left the store on foot and headed toward a nearby bus stop. She ignored repeated verbal commands from employees telling her to come back to the store, the report said.
The officer arrived at the bus stop to speak with Wallace, who claimed she had only used the bathroom at Marshalls before leaving to catch the bus to a nearby laundromat. She denied knowledge of Simpkins, saying she had been at the store by herself. She also had a white and gray sheet folded up over clothes, all of which she stated were dirty and belonged to her, the report said.
Meanwhile, another officer responded to Marshalls to review surveillance footage. It showed Wallace selected a $24.99 three-pack of Flab to Fab bras and took it to the bathroom. She walked out of the bathroom without the bras in her hand and walked toward the exit, the report said.
An employee then went into the bathroom to investigate, discovering one of the bras with the price tag still attached. The other two were missing. More employees approached Wallace as she left the store without making any attempts to pay for the bras, the report said.
The loss prevention associate also tried to confront Wallace, but she ignored loud commands to return to the store. She faced him and flipped him off before continuing to walk away toward the bus stop, the report said.
Knowing this, the officer, now speaking with Wallace, asked to see the clothing in her sheet. As she sorted through the items, he observed two bras that matched the description of the stolen clothes. Wallace was subsequently handcuffed and taken back to the store for the rest of the investigation, the report said.
Wallace later admitted to removing two of the bras from the package while in the bathroom, putting them in the sheet and leaving the store. She did not believe she would be caught. She had originally come into the store with Simpkins only to use the restroom, but then decided to steal the bras due to financial hardship, the report said.
She heard loss prevention yelling as she exited the store, yet she did not believe he was yelling at her. But he was heard by other customers leaving a nearby business, and he was specifically yelling at Wallace, the report said.
A subsequent check of her criminal history revealed one prior theft conviction out of Lake County on Nov. 19, 2013, the report said.
Additionally, Simpkins had already been detained in the loss prevention office. He stated he had concealed a $12.99 Eddie Bauer bread trimmer on his person due to having a job interview that afternoon. He wanted to “clean himself up,” according to a case report from the LPD.
When approached by employees, he admitted to concealing the merchandise and trying to leave the store without paying for it. He stated he was cooperative and apologetic, going to their office without incident, the report said.
Wallace was ultimately arrested on charges of retail theft (one prior conviction) and resist merchant. She was booked at the Lake County Jail without bond.
She was previously arrested in Aug. 2023 for hitting her boyfriend with a stick and in Nov. 2022 for starting a fight with another woman out of jealousy.
Simpkins was issued a citation for retail theft and released from the scene. He is due in court on July 28.