A woman was arrested in the theft of a $550 handbag and other merchandise from Belk at La Plaza Grande in The Villages.
Candice Renee Bealer, 37, of Ocala, entered the store Thursday afternoon and selected an Exotic dreamer handbag, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
She concealed the handbag in her own purse and when she was stopped by police, Bealer had a stolen shirt underneath her shirt, a stolen skirt underneath her jeans and she had a stolen sweatshirt. The total value of the merchandise was $668.
A search of her purse turned up a pill bottle that contained 2.4 grams of methamphetamine.
She was arrested on charges of grand theft and possession of a controlled substance. She was booked at the Lake County Jail on $4,000 bond.