Police say a Lakes Wales woman on Tuesday bypassed a job interview to do something that landed her behind bars: shoplift.
Here's what happened, according to a release from the Lake Wales Police Department:
On Tuesday, officers responded to a retail theft call at a Sears store at the Eagle Ridge Mall. When they arrived, they learned that Michelle L. McKay, 38, of Lake Wales, had been spotted trying to push a shopping cart full of goods out of the store.
McKay abandoned the cart when it got stuck in the doorway and she left the store. She had come prepared, police say, armed with plastic Sears bags she filled with merchandise and tied closed. In all, she had attempted to steal a new TV and other items valued at $1,864.
After her arrest, McKay admitted to stealing a vacuum cleaner and a WiFi box valued at $429 from the same store on Monday night.
She also told investigators with the police crime suppression unit that she skipped a job interview earlier in the day to steal items from another store - Tractor Supply - before going to Sears.
Managers at Tractor Supply were notified, and more charges are pending.
As officers dealt with McKay's case, they found out that another woman, Melissa M. Lee, 38, had come to the store with McKay.
Unaware that McKay had been caught, the Winter Haven woman pulled her own cart of items out of Sears, filled with stolen duffle bags full of clothes, tools and electronics valued at $3,703.
She later admitted to going to the store with McKay with the intent to steal items. She also admitted to having been with McKay earlier in the day at Tractor Supply, but denied having stolen anything.
Anyone with information on the case should call 863-678-4223.
