A woman who had been wearing a mask was arrested after allegedly attempting to steal groceries at a Winn-Dixie supermarket in The Villages.
Sara Vianney Rincon Chavez, 29, of Wildwood, made two trips to the Winn-Dixie store at Pinellas Plaza and each time attempted to steal a cartload of groceries, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department.
The first incident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. May 16 when Chavez walked into the store with “multiple plastic bags,” according to the report. She went to the meat aisle and began loading groceries into her bags. She left the store without paying for the items. The incident was captured on video surveillance.
She returned to the store on May 25, but the store manager spotted her and suspected it was the same woman from the previous shoplifting incident. When she returned the second time, she was wearing a mask. The manager confronted Chavez after she left the store and did not pay for a cartload of items. The manager seized the cart and Chavez fled in a silver 2018 Volkswagen Passat. The manager got the license plate number.
The following day, police officers went to Chavez’s home at 914 Powell St. and arrested her on two counts of theft.
“I know my intention for yesterday was bad, but I never stole anything,” the native of Mexico uttered in Spanish at the time of her arrest.
She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $1,000 bond.
