A judge has ordered a competency hearing for an unhappy customer who refused to pay her bill at a hair salon in The Villages.
Carolyn Deborah Harmelin, 72, is facing a charge of theft as a result of skipping out on the bill in March at the Tenaj Salon Institute on County Road 103 in The Villages.
A judge in Sumter County Court on Friday ordered that Harmelin undergo a psychological evaluation to determine her competency.
The former New Yorker went to the salon on March 20 for an afternoon appointment, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. She was in the stylist’s chair for about 30 minutes before she became “argumentative” with the salon’s staff. Harmelin walked to the salon’s front counter where she continued to argue with the salon’s director who told Harmelin she owed $56 for the hairdo.
Harmelin refused to pay and walked to the parking lot where she got into a blue Toyota Avalon and drove away. The salon director was able to snap a photo of the car’s license plate. She contacted law enforcement.
A detective checked the license plate and found that Harmelin’s driver’s license photo matched the image of the woman captured on surveillance at the salon. A warrant was issued for Harmelin’s arrest.
Harmelin, who has been living at the Lake Sumter Apartments, previously lived in Ocala and in 2017 was arrested in a domestic violence incident in which she knocked her mother to the ground. Harmelin also has previous arrests for violating court orders, driving under the influence and driving while license suspended.