A woman with more than $700 in stolen merchandise was arrested at Belk in The Villages.
Hollie Renee Smart, 29, of Fruitland Park, on Friday afternoon entered the store at La Plaza Grande, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. She selected several jewelry items, went to the shoe department and selected a pair of shoes and put the jewelry in a shoebox. She then went into a fitting room. As she walked out the door of the store, Smart handed the shoebox to a store employee.
Lady Lake police had been summoned to the scene and attempted to stop Smart, who attempted to pull away from an officer. Found in her purse were 11 jewelry items, a pair of pants and four cosmetic items, totaling $705 in value. A glass pipe for smoking drugs also was found in her purse.
Smart was arrested on charges of retail grand theft, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was booked at the Lake County Jail on $3,500 bond.
