on April 29th
2024 officers received a call from a
manager at a local wind Dixie with a
serious complaint an employee had
allegedly been stealing over $2,000
worth of household items raising
suspicions after a series of unusual
incidents here's how the situation
unfolded and what led to this shocking
Discovery sorry tell me what happened
okay so um I all on this uh flash drive
will have video of the
incidence uh I identified the
uh the the thefts last week and as I was
reviewing to see how far back it went I
have all way until February 1st until
April 22nd so was a collective of not
just um today it's Collective of how
long from from from April I'm sorry
February 1st through April
22nd was all on uh all on ail what April
22nd April what 22nd yes this year
correct all right all right so what
happens
today so today I had a conversation with
her um where she admitted me to doing
what I have already on here um but she's
an employee correct okay um and what she
would do is she would bring merchandise
from the sales for that she intends to
purchase M brings them over to our self
checkout registers M um and instead of
ringing up all the items she would only
ring up some of the items okay the
others she would still keep the bag and
place in the shopping cart and then at
the end of her shift she would do this
probably within within 15 to 30 minutes
of her Shi and um she would leave with
all of the items okay do you have
receipt all the items yes okay all the
items that you did in scan all on here
is this right here which you're seeing
here so so you put in all the items that
was not scanned correct on there on the
flash correct so each folder is a
DAT
um these and again all of this is in
this flash okay everything's on there
though right this is the these are the
items that were paid for uh what wasn't
paid
for these are the items that were not
P indicator which which date and
transaction that it corresponds to
okay okay so was that was that finally
today or was that
after and then this is just an exile
spreadsheet of each one including the
loss for each the loss of each of each
of each um correct of each um the ones
that are blank is either she did pay for
all of it or it doesn't correspond to a
loss okay and uh so how did you catch
her
today days well today she came into work
I okay where she at now in the office
okay all right so I'm definitely out the
sheriff's office I need read you
something
okay I'm required to warn you before you
make any statement that you have fallen
constitutional rights you have the right
to remain silent not answering my
questions any statement must be and
freely voluntarily given you have the
right to the present reputation of a
lawyer your church before you make any
statement and during any
questioning if you cannot afford a
lawyer you're entitled to presentation
of a court important lawyer before you
make any statement during any question
if at any time dur interview do not wish
to answer any questions you approv to
remain silent I can make no threats or
promises to induce you to make a
statement this will be your own free
will any statement can will be used
against you in the court of law with
these following rights my do you speak
to
me think I need to say anything do
I no I mean I have to look at him I mean
with the following rights I just read
you understand all the rights you just
read so with these rights in mind do you
wish to speak to
me no not it's going to be held against
me no okay so you don't don't want to
speak to
me what am I supposed to say I mean I
can't tell you exactly what to say it's
just something that'll probably defend
yourself I don't I don't know I can't
tell you on what to say it just I'm in
reference to why I'm here if you want to
speak to me further about the reason why
I'm
here I I'm I can just all all I can say
is I'm sorry and I
wasn't meaning to hurt anybody I wasn't
trying to to do anything you know I was
just trying to
survive you know and I'm willing to pay
back
everything you
know that that I will do I mean I mean
believe it or not I I I I I do feel bad
for what I
did was that statement to him or to me
I'm just I'm just making the statement
in you know in general I just so it's
your I just got my back against the wall
you're
no okay so you're telling me you're
making a statement to him but it's just
an an hour statement it's not direct to
anyone well I already talked to him I
done said that you know I would pay it
back I you know
I I don't I just don't know what else to
say or do you know I'm scared to death
right
now okay I understand that so I am I'm
scared to
death all right
so speaking to me yes or
no cuz I can I can take in consideration
you didn't give utterance it's not a you
just you spontaneous utter something I
just need like a yes you I want to talk
to you no I'm not I need something I
mean yeah I'll talk to you if but you
know I just don't know what to tell you
you know I mean I've already you know
went through the motions of of
everything okay uh there was a reason
for such a vast quantity of
thefts
6 why is it such a vast amount yeah like
what is the it's it's it's a lot it's
over three two months three months the
time time frame what from November till
now for November I guess that's what he
told me so it's prior about what he's
telling me what I what have what is
going on he told me November so I'm like
November December January February March
outside so so all right can you to them
s can you wa outside
sure I need a chair all
right you
okay put
okay all right so are you saying you've
been doing this since
November well I'm just going by I I
don't I don't know tell it's not just
it's not it's not on what some is
telling me it's what you want to tell me
if you're telling me it's been November
well I'm just I'm going by what he said
he said since November I I don't know
when I I don't know I I I really don't
know when I actually started you you
don't know when you actually started
right you know so you know just you know
okay so November is when it I guess is
when I started it 2023 yeah okay um is
there a reason for for you doing
this I've had a I've had a rough couple
years and you know my husband died my
mom died my son
died I'm losing my house I lost my uh
management role and was making way less
money than what I was used to and I had
you know I I I just didn't felt like I
had a choice you know I mean I didn't
know what else to do you know I mean I'm
alone down here pretty much M you know
and I didn't know what else to do so you
resorted to in the sense that what were
what were you stealing well food for me
you know some food survive in a sense
yeah in a sense you know and then you
know did steal some cat food cuz you
know I have a couple
C understand cuz you don't want your
cats to be dying in the house and you're
trying to survive yourself I understand
you know and I don't know what else to
do with that you know what I mean I I
just didn't know what else to do I
really didn't know what else to do okay
all right so from what I'm understanding
is you're telling me that um you
resorted to a crime of stealing food for
yourself to survive and for your cast
surviv trials you have no help in in
Florida it's just you down here after
your husband died and you have death I
mean I have my daughter but she's got
her own three kids and and stuff like
that I can't where's your daughter at
you know she lives up there on Forest
too you know I can't you know she she
was she's not able to at least uh
provide you with any kind
of 50 bucks or some groceries nothing
like
that she's you know she's helped me out
a little bit here and there but you know
she's got bills to pay too and she got
like I said she just had a baby M and
she got three kids of her own you know
that she's got to take care of and I
don't want to take care I don't want to
take money out of her her pocket and and
deprive her K the kid you know what I
mean I don't want you know I don't want
that to happen okay you know so it was
like a vicious circle I didn't know what
to do what the way to get out I didn't
know what to
do okay I just really
didn't you know I mean I feel bad for
what I did you know and if I had I
probably wouldn't have done it I
wouldn't do it over again that's for
sure but have you SE any help from the
count
you know they tell me I make too much
money because you know I try to get on
food stamps I try to get that no not
just food stamps food STS is a
government level I'm talking about like
through the county where there can be
um shoot uh food bank can bring get your
food get you ready and stuff um just
there's you know I don't have a car to
get anywhere fine they bring it to you
they just tell your circumstances they
help you they don't want they don't want
this it's such a homeless homelessness
in pal county is so large they don't
want to add to that so they're going to
obviously get the help to people that
can help I didn't know where to get the
help I didn't know how to go get find
out about help you know I didn't know
I've never had I've never done this
before okay you know I never you know
this just just recently started
happening I I I I've never done it in
the past didn't have it didn't have need
to you know yeah
I I
just I understand trust me understand
you sometimes you have you have to you
have to do what you have to do in order
I'm 58 years old and I have nobody more
or less you know what I mean I mean
everybody that was down here with me has
died you know my husband died of cancer
my mom died of a heart attack you
know and I got a house that I can't pay
for it's going into
foreclosure and I don't even know when
I'm going to have to be out of my house
no until it goes into foreclosure it's
already in foreclosure it was supposed
to go up for auction last Tuesday and I
guess something happened and the auction
you know took place but the guy that was
buying it I guess couldn't come up with
the rest of the money so he defaulted on
that okay so you know I don't know if
and when I'm going to have to get out of
my house you know they come back on my
door and tell me to get out I don't know
I'm scared you I'm really really scared
okay you know 58 years old and I'm just
trying to make it that's all yeah life
is all and and I am really sorry that I
did right now everything you know I
mean I don't know problem yeah get you a
call I guess I'm going ja we don't know
yet likely yeah we we'll see don't yeah
me I understand but
um there's like a this I get what you're
saying
but we're working all that
out have you heard about the food bank
at BO anary no I never yeah there's a
church over there that gives out
food this one doesn't open this way can
I smoke a
cigarette
sure I am going to go to jail
possibly who's it up to huh who's it up
to Cate of Florida you trying to verify
what we can do in reference of this
understand that you were stealing for
food but the quantity is
felony
so the suspect was charged with with
felony grand theft and sentenced to 2
years of probation but was a pantry full
of household items and cat food really
worth the trouble what are your thoughts
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