A Leesburg woman taken into custody for stealing food from the Publix deli faced additional charges after a narcotic was discovered on her person.
An officer responded to Publix at Palm Plaza at 717 N 14th St. for retail theft at 8:50 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch reported that Selena Korren Perry, 29, and an unidentified man had taken food from the store. The former left on foot, whereas the latter rode a bicycle.
A customer service manager noticed the two collecting food from the deli before heading to the front of the store. They went without paying, so the manager confronted them and asked for their food back. Perry claimed to have paid for the food online and strolled by the manager, according to the report.
Her male companion then got his bicycle and fled with some of the food, while Perry proceeded south with the remainder. The manager had no idea how much had been stolen, but she did know that miscellaneous bakery items, Boar’s Head mini sandwiches, potato salad, a drink, and soup were missing. She estimated that $35 to $45 in food had been stolen, according to the report.
Law enforcement checked the immediate region and the pair’s travel routes without result. According to the report, another officer recognized Perry based on a previous encounter with her.
Officers recognized Perry the next night as she traveled around North Oakland and High Street. They had probable grounds to arrest her and searched her person. She admitted to having fentanyl in her possession, according to the report.
The officers discovered three pieces of shredded foil, all of which had burnt narcotic residue, as well as a chopped straw contaminated with burnt narcotics. They also discovered a coin pouch with currency and a small zip-top baggie containing white powdered substance. This tested positive for fentanyl and weighed 0.29 grams, according to the report.
Perry was arrested on counts of retail theft (less than $750), retail theft (resist merchant), possession of fentanyl, and possession or use of drug paraphernalia.
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