A suspect has been tracked down in the theft of more than $1,000 worth of liquor at a Publix store in The Villages.
Cherline Floreal, 28, of Miami, was arrested Monday on a felony charge of theft.
She and a male companion on Sept. 22 entered the Publix liquor store at Magnolia Plaza and made off with $1,137 worth of liquor, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. They stole a total of 21 bottles of liquor from the store. A man who was with Floreal distracted the clerk while she stuffed the bottles in a black-and-white striped shoulder bag. The incident was captured on surveillance. They got into a white Nissan and left the parking lot.
Wildwood police created a criminal bulletin and heard from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office which was investigating similar thefts in its jurisdiction. The license plate on the Nissan was traced to Floreal. The clerk at Publix picked Floreal out of a photo lineup.
Floreal was arrested on a charge of theft and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. She was released after posting $2,000 bond.