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MARION COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida woman was arrested for leaving Walmart without paying for her items because she thought the security guard was trying to "holler" at her," according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Catherine Eaves was arrested and charged with petit retail theft for the incident that unfolded last Thursday at the Walmart at 34 Bahia Ave. in Ocala.
The asset protection specialist at Walmart told deputies that the suspect, identified as 34-year-old Eaves left the store without paying for her items and refused to go back inside to check out, according to an arrest affidavit.
Surveillance footage from Walmart showed Eaves walking around the store for about three hours before walking into the tire center, passing several cash registers and leaving the store, the affidavit said. As Eaves was walking toward the exit, the asset protection specialist tried to talk to her, telling her several times to go back inside.
That's when Eaves yelled back at him and walked away, the affidavit said.
In a post-Miranda interview, Eaves told deputies the security guard started talking to her, but "she thought he was trying to ‘holler,'" so she ran out of the store, the affidavit said. Eaves also said she was at Walmart in the first place because she "had nothing to do" and was "killing time," adding that she had to return a few things and grab a few more.
Photo: Marion County Sheriffs Office
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Among the items she walked out of the store with were two hair color kits, two drill batteries, shampoo and a few other random items totaling over $160, deputies said.
Eaves said there were no cashiers in the tire center area, so that's why she left the store, according to the affidavit. When deputies asked her why she didn't go to a different area to pay, she "wasn't able to give a valid answer," deputies said.
She was transported to the Marion County Jail, but has since been released on recognizance, arrest records show.