Two men were nabbed in an attempt to steal more than $7,000 worth of purses at Belk in The Villages.
A loss prevention officer spotted 22-year-old Javontae Holton and 26-year-old Tarques Williams, both of Haines City, at about 3 p.m. Sunday in the designer handbag section of the La Plaza Grande store, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. They selected numerous handbags and put them into shopping carts and then concealed them in Belk shopping bags.
Police arrived on the scene and Holton and Williams began running from the store, dropping the bags they had been carrying. They were captured near the parking lot of Wendy’s restaurant on Bichara Boulevard.
The handbags had a total combined value of $7,565.
Williams was found to be in possession of oxycodone hydrochloride and 3.5 grams of marijuana.
Both men were arrested on charges of retail grand theft and resisting arrest. Williams is also facing drug charges. Both were booked at the Lake County Jail.
