A Fruitland Park woman was arrested after being caught with $235 in items stolen from Walmart and narcotics in her purse.
An officer responded to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd., regarding a woman skip-scanning items at a self-checkout and putting them in her handbag around 8 p.m. Friday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. The woman, later identified as 47-year-old Beth Pamela Laurent, was accompanied by a juvenile female.
Upon arrival, the officer met with an asset protection employee who had Laurent detained in the Loss Prevention Office. The total loss of 21 general merchandise items, valued at $235, were involved in the theft, the report said.
The employee gave the officer surveillance footage that showed Laurent intentionally missing barcode scans at the self-checkout and not paying for the items. She then tried to leave the store through the general merchandise doors, the report said…