A suspected shoplifter was tracked down after allegedly stealing merchandise at Walmart at Buffalo Ridge Plaza in The Villages.
Kristen Lee Sailer, 39, of Lady Lake, was booked Saturday at the Sumter County Detention Center on a charge of theft.
Sailer was picked out of a photo lineup by the store’s loss prevention officer who had attempted to confront Sailer in connection with a Dec. 7 incident at the store.
Sailer entered the store at 8 p.m. that day and placed merchandise in a shopping cart, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. She left without paying for the merchandise, exiting through the garden section. The loss prevention officer was not able to stop Sailer, who fled in a black Ford F-150 pickup. The vehicle’s license plate was traced to Sailer.
A criminal history check revealed that Sailer has been convicted of theft in 2004 in Broward County and in 2018 and 2021 in Lake County.
Due to the previous convictions, Broward was charged with felony theft in the Dec. 7 incident.
She was released on Christmas Eve after posting $2,000 bond.