Woman allegedly hides stolen purse from customer shopping at Goodwill

A suspect has been arrested on a warrant for allegedly stealing a purse from a Goodwill customer.

A female customer at the Goodwill store at the Lady Lake Commons shopping plaza called the police after 31-year-old Katlyn Jean Zirkle of Ocala stole her purse on the afternoon of April 22, according to a Lake County affidavit of probable cause. The customer and store employees told an officer with the Lady Lake Police Department that Zirkle was still inside the store.

She had taken the customer’s white purse with a brown strap, which contained her driver’s license, multiple credit cards, debit cards, a vape, a Samsung Flip 3 cellphone, work keys and two wallets. The phone was ultimately found on a shelf and returned to her. Employees also advised that Zirkle made several trips from the store to a gray vehicle in the parking lot before and after the theft was reported, the affidavit said.

Zirkle denied stealing anything. She was there with her boyfriend, who left the store to get coffee. However, employees knew he was currently sleeping on a couch in the store. She also denied knowing this person, the affidavit said.

Her boyfriend was very sleepy, but stated he came to the store with a woman. He had a credit card and a state food card belonging to a subject known to neither him nor Zirkle. The two were subsequently released and left the store, the affidavit said.

The LLPD contacted Zirkle’s boyfriend again when employees at Mission BBQ in the same shopping plaza found him sleeping in the restaurant. When asked about the theft, he reiterated that he arrived at Goodwill with Zirkle, the affidavit said.

Zirkle’s gray Toyota was later discovered parked outside the store. Kirkle walked out to it several times before and after the theft. Officers monitored the vehicle, seeing a man and a woman get inside, and pulled it over for failing to stop while exiting a private driveway near Fennell Boulevard and County Road 25, the affidavit said.

The female passenger was found to have a Florida EBT card, a Milestone credit card and a Social Security card belonging to the customer. The male driver and the passenger explained that they picked up the vehicle at Kirkle’s request, the affidavit said.

On May 12, the LLPD received surveillance footage from Goodwill on the day of the theft. The customer was standing in the same aisle as Kirkle when she put her purse on the ground to try on a pair of shoes. She then left her purse behind and left the area, the affidavit said.

Kirkle put the purse in her shopping cart and quickly placed other items on top of it. The customer confronted her, who denied picking it up. Kirkle manipulated the purse by reaching into her cart under the items on top of it before hiding the purse in another aisle. This was confirmed after the manager found the purse from the exact location, the affidavit said.

Court records showed the Kirkle had been convicted of at least two thefts. The two most recent were in Marion County on Oct. 28, 2019, and April 14, 2020, the affidavit said.

Kirkle was arrested in Marion County on a warrant charging her with petit theft (two or more prior convictions). She was booked at the Lake County Jail on June 28, and released after posting $2,500 bond.