A 39-year-old woman was taken into custody Friday, two days after she allegedly bolted with stolen merchandise from Wal-Mart at Buffalo Ridge Plaza in The Villages.
Nicole Marie Derhone of Ocala had entered the store shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday with two small children in tow, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. She took a 24-pack of Energizer batteries, Cascade dishwasher detergent and Jet-Dry and concealed them in her purse before exiting through the Home & Garden section of the store. She was confronted by a loss prevention officer and ran with the two children to a vehicle which then pulled out of the parking lot.
A detective contacted the registered owner of the vehicle who said his daughter had been using it. The detective also found that Derhone had pawned an item earlier in the month in Marion County.
She agreed to meet with the detective at the Sheriff’s Annex in The Villages and was arrested on charges of petit theft and child neglect.
She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $3,000 bond.
