A Bushnell teen was arrested after allegedly encouraging a minor to steal electronics while she waited outside at Target.
Officers responded to Target at Rolling Acres Plaza in The Villages for a theft involving 18-year-old Joselin Gallegos-Chilel around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officers met with loss prevention agents, who saw a male juvenile removing anti-theft security devices from electronics using scissors to cut the wires. He then emptied the packaging and discarded it around the store before putting the electronics in an empty Target shopping bag, the report said.
The officers subsequently stopped him and escorted him to the Loss Prevention office. They asked for a parent or guardian, and he stated he was in contact with Gallegos-Chilel. He had been texting her photos of the merchandise and conspiring with her to steal the electronics. She encouraged him to do so while she waited outside in a truck so they could make a getaway, the report said.
The juvenile’s mother then arrived, followed shortly by Gallegos-Chilel after speaking with the juvenile on the phone. In their text conversation, she asked the juvenile to send her a picture of some “locked up” merchandise. She told him to get her “whatever,” but to hurry and meet her in the truck, the report said.
The urgency in her responses made no mention of payment or price. Additionally, there was clear concern for the security devices wrapped around the items. Had they intended to buy the merchandise, there would be no concern, the report said.
Gallegos-Chilel was arrested on charges of petit theft, contributing to delinquency of a minor and criminal conspiracy. She and the juvenile were booked at the Lake County Jail, and she was released after posting $2,000 bond. The juvenile’s information has been withheld, and his status is unknown.