A woman wanted for the theft of a bottle of tequila was apprehended when she returned to the scene of the crime at Walmart.
Michele Lynn Marchese, 57, who lives in the Sandalwood Condominiums in Wildwood, entered the store at Sarasota Plaza in The Villages on Sunday afternoon, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. A loss prevention officer recognized the Cincinnati, Ohio native from a theft which had occurred on Thursday and had been captured on video. In that incident, Marchese took a 750ml bottle of Teremana Blanco tequila, tucked it in her purse and left the store without paying for it. The tequila had been priced at $27.97. She claimed she had stolen the tequila for her boyfriend.
Marchese, who was arrested in 2023 after stealing a pair of portable air conditioning units from Lowe’s home improvement on U.S. Hwy. 441 in Lady Lake, also has a previous theft conviction in Marion County.
She was taken into custody on a felony charge of theft. She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $2,500 bond.
