A woman with a history of arrests in Connecticut was nabbed in the alleged theft of merchandise at Walmart at Buffalo Ridge Plaza in The Villages.
Marybel Cortes, 53, of Wildwood, was in the self-checkout line at the store on Friday and was using pricetags from cheaper items to scan higher-price merchandise she had selected, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. A cashier went to the self-checkout lane and attempted to help Cortes correct her actions and “not get law enforcement involved,” the report said.
However, when the cashier left, Cortes continued scanning the cheaper prices tags and “did not correct her actions.” She had $155.48 in merchandise for which she had paid $35.48. The merchandise included life vests, women’s panties, girls’ dresses, shampoo, Q-tips and a Super Mario Hat.
A check revealed Cortes had four convictions for larceny in 2015 in Connecticut, another larceny conviction in Connecticut in 2012 and one more conviction for larceny in Connecticut in 2005.
She was arrested on a charge of theft and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. She was released after posting $2,000 bond.
