John Jefferson
Inset: Rebecca Fleming appears in a booking photo (Pinellas County Jail); Main image: a Burlington Coat Factory she allegedly stole from in Clearwater, Fla. (Google Maps)
A Florida woman was recently arrested after using a “large magnet” to steal several items from a popular retail establishment, police say.
Rebecca Fleming, 45, faces one count of possession of an anti-shoplifting device, according to Pinellas County court records.
The alleged discovery appears to be an unintentional turn of fortune.
On June 27, Fleming was pulled over while she was the passenger on a red moped that was stopped for a traffic violation, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Clearwater Police Department.
During the traffic stop, police realized the defendant had a warrant out of Oklahoma, the complaint alleges. Then, the woman was searched and officers discovered she allegedly had “multiple bags containing clothing that had locking devices on them” in her possession.
A more thorough search ensued.
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“Search of the bags show all clothing had these locking devices on them including the bags that contained them,” police wrote in the complaint. “In the def’s purse a large magnet was located.”
Next, she was Mirandized and allegedly confessed.
Fleming told investigators that all of the clothing – as well as the bags – were stolen from the Clearwater Mall, according to the complaint.
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“She said that she left through the front doors without setting off the detectors,” the court document reads. “[She] stated that she has used the device in the past and has been successful with removing the locking devices from the clothing.”
Police say the defendant went on to tell them she had planned on the using the “device” to remove all of the anti-theft devices that were still on the clothes and the bags later that night.
Fleming allegedly said “she bought the large magnet off of Amazon.”
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A court swiftly ordered the defendant to stay away from the mall where the alleged shoplifting occurred. Notably, the defendant has not been charged with any actual theft offenses.
The court also appointed Fleming a public defender.
The defendant bonded out of jail on June 28.
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