A known serial shoplifter, Michele Lynn Marchese, 57, of Summerfield, was arrested at a Publix in The Villages after attempting to steal nearly $400 worth of groceries.
On Saturday at approximately 6:45 p.m., Marchese and a male companion entered the Publix at the Spanish Plaines Shopping Center, each filling empty shopping carts with merchandise without any attempt to pay, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies found that Marchese had a history of theft offenses, including a 2024 arrest for attempting to steal a bottle of tequila from Walmart at Sarasota Plaza and a 2023 attempt to steal portable air conditioners from Lowe’s. She also holds prior theft convictions from Connecticut.
Since Marchese was already on probation at the time of the arrest, she was booked without bond at the Sumter County Detention Center. Her male companion received a notice to appear in court.
