A Florida woman who left an Ocala Walmart store without paying for items said she had to make a quick exit as the store’s security guard was trying to “holler at her,” according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Catherine Eaves’ excuse didn’t fly, however, and she was arrested and charged with petit retail theft.
- Eaves didn’t just leave without paying, she refused to go back in. Talking to deputies at the scene, an asset protection specialist (i.e. employee hired to watch for thieves at self-checkout) said that they watched Catherine Eaves exit the store without paying. When approached, she outright refused to go back inside to complete the checkout process, Fox 35 reports (via Yahoo! News).
- The whole situation was a bit odd… Surveillance videos showed that Eaves was at the Walmart store for approximately three hours, walking around aimlessly before going into the tire center, walking past cash registers there, and leaving. That’s when the employee approached her and asked her to go back inside, but Eaves shouted at him and walked away without paying.
- Catherine Eaves flattered herself to police. In an interview after her arrest, she said that when the employee approached her, she felt sure “he was trying to ‘holler’” so she left. By “holler,” she means that the security guard was trying to hit on her romantically, according to Eaves. She said she had simply gone to the store since she had “nothing to do” and was “killing time,” but that she also had to return a few things and pick a few up.
- She stole some pretty random stuff, but it added up to about $160. Police say Eaves walked out of the Walmart without paying for shampoo, two hair color kits, two drill batteries, and other items. She claims that she left because there were no cashiers in the tire center from which she exited. When police asked her why she didn’t go to a different checkout area, she “wasn’t able to give a valid answer.”
- Catherine Eaves was booked into Marion County Jail. However, she was released soon after on her own recognizance.
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