Florida woman walks out of Walmart after card declines several times over $250 purchase, deputies say
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MARION COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida woman found herself behind bars after she allegedly walked out of Walmart with about $250 worth of merchandise after her card declined several times at self-checkout, deputies said.
Samantha Beary was arrested and charged with petit theft after the incident that unfolded at the Ocala Walmart on Bahia Avenue on Sunday, according to an arrest affidavit from the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
When deputies arrived, they made contact with the store's loss prevention officer who said she saw Beary pack up several items in a shopping bag without paying for them, the affidavit said. Beary reportedly made an attempt to pay, but her card was declined "multiple times."
That's when Beary passed all points of sale and walked out of the store without paying for the items in her cart, deputies said.
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Deputies reviewed surveillance footage, which showed Beary grabbing a few items from her cart and scanning them without paying for them, according to the affidavit. She then allegedly "goes to the help desk and turns around to exit the store trying multiple exits."
Walmart said the items were recovered and were worth a total of $249.57, the affidavit said.
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Post-Miranda, Beary agreed to speak with deputies and told them that she's "very specific in how she likes to pack her items" and said she was "trying to separate them by two different transactions," the affidavit said. Beary then said she was going to pay for the items with a different card, and also tried to pay for them using CashApp, but couldn't "transfer the money properly."
Beary, who has a prior conviction for grand theft, has since been released from the Marion County Jail after posting $500 bond.