An 84-year-old Villager who fell on hard times and became homeless has been arrested at a Publix grocery store.
Jeanette Ferrell was driving a 2020 Honda Civic when she was involved in an accident shortly before noon Tuesday at the Publix at Spanish Plaines Plaza, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
The Kentucky native, who previously lived at the WaterCrest assisted living facility in the Spanish Springs area, admitted that her car insurance had lapsed in May. She said her driver’s license was invalid and had been seized by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. She also told the deputy investigating the crash that she is homeless.
She was arrested on charges of driving with a suspended license and operating a vehicle without insurance. She was taken into custody and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center.
Ferrell had driven the same Honda Civic on Dec. 19 to the Publix at La Plaza Grande in The Villages where she concealed in her sweater a Publix chicken tender wrap sub, a bag of nacho cheese Doritos and a 22-ounce fountain drink, with a total value of $9.17, according to a report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
A Publix employee said that Ferrell had stolen food and other merchandise from the same store on Nov. 24, including a chicken tender wrap sub, two pairs of men’s socks, a fingernail file and a Publix pastry, with a total value of $23.45.
Ferrell told police she had taken the items because she was hungry. Ferrell was arrested and banned from the store. She was allowed to enter into a pre-trial intervention contract in Lake County Court. She successfully completed the terms of the contract and the prosecutor’s office announced in July that the theft charges would be dropped.
This past December, Ferrell was sued by her credit card company, Capital One, for an unpaid bill that topped $19,000. However, documents on file in Lake County Court show a summons was never served because the process server was unable to find Ferrell.
