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Video catches woman on Dunedin crime spree

Posted at 5:41 AM, Jun 30, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-30 08:48:25-04

A woman was caught on surveillance video stealing, authorities said, and several business owners in Dunedin are trying to track her down.

Several businesses along Main Street have posted a picture of the woman inside their stores. They do not have any other information about her and they hope someone will recognize her and contact deputies.

"She came in, I think, ready to steal," Christy Hupp said.

Hupp is the owner of My Favorite Things. She said her surveillance cameras captured the mystery woman, stealing jewelry Saturday morning.

"You just want to go out and find her and just say, 'why are you doing this'," Hupp said.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, the woman stole hundreds of dollars in jewelry from My Favorite Things and Palm Latitudes. The two businesses are located next to each other.

"She looked to see where my employee was (and) noticed that she was attending to another customer and set there (and) turned around and just headed for the front door," Hupp said.

While she may have vanished that day, deputies want to get her for grand theft.

"We're all mom's and pop's and we look out for each other so don't mess with Dunedin. We will find a thief eventually," Nancy Carney of Nancy's Fancy said.

Carney posted a picture of the woman, who deputies are searching for, and she isn't the only business, who spread the word about the thefts.

"I got a call and I immediately went to all the other merchants on my row and told them about it," Lynn Thorn of The Celtic Shop said.

Thorn of The Celtic Shop said a theft at one of the stores feels like a theft at all of the stores.

"We have zero tolerance for shoplifting," she said.

"That's the big question: Who is she? We're trying to find out," Carney said.

If you have any information about this case, contact the North County Property Crimes Unit at (727) 582-6200. You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 873-TIPS.

"We just want everybody to know you're not going to come into our town and steal from us without us, you know, putting your face out there for the world to see," Hupp said.