A resident of The Villages has been been tracked down after 10 different thefts from a local Walmart, including one heist that yielded a Christmas tree, lights and Grinch ornaments.
Nicole Danielle Marie DiMattia, 45, who lives at 1619 W. Schwartz Blvd. on the Historic Side of The Villages, was booked Thursday at the Marion County Jail on warrants charging her with 10 counts of theft.
DiMattia, occasionally accompanied by possible accomplices, made 10 trips to the Walmart in Summerfield between Nov. 2 and Dec. 21, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
During the first trip on Nov. 2, DiMattia stole two ribeye steaks, pet medicine, cereal and grape jelly. Using a technique known as skip scanning, she paid $8.05 for $77.15 worth of merchandise at the self-checkout aisle.
DiMattia returned on Nov. 8 with another woman, and they employed the skip scanning technique to pay $4.85 for $186.97 worth of merchandise which included a dog outfit, bedsheets, a blanket and Sharpie markers.
DiMattia was back on Nov. 25 when she stole the Christmas tree, lights and Grinch ornaments.
During seven more trips to Walmart, she stole a bicycle helmet, cologne, boots and a robot vacuum cleaner, among other merchandise.
DiMattia had used her credit card for some of the greatly reduced purchases. The store’s loss prevention office reported that at least one of the trips to Walmart was made in a golf cart.
A criminal history check revealed that DiMattia was previously convicted of theft in Hillsborough County. In 2022, she was spotted pushing a shopping cart stolen from Target at Rolling Acres Plaza in The Villages.
As a result of the arrest in connection with the thefts at Walmart, DiMattia was being held on $25,000 bond.