One Florida woman, 36-year-old Kimberly McDonnell, allegedly made 18 trips to a Target store over several months, and investigators said she left with more than $3,400 worth of merchandise that she did not pay for, according to Yahoo Finance. When the case came to light, deputies arrived at her office and told her she was being arrested.
According to bodycam footage of the arrest released on YouTube, deputies told McDonnell that she was facing a grand theft charge. Investigators alleged that she had taken 151 unpaid items worth a total of $3,472.02 from a Target on Tarpon Bay Boulevard in Naples, while nobody was keeping an eye on her.
Investigators claimed that the repeated trips eventually turned the case into something much larger than a single missed payment. Target allegedly had surveillance footage from the visits, which detectives used as part of their investigation, as the customer was accused of stealing.
These thefts happened over time
The alleged incidents took place over a period of three months. Detectives said McDonnell repeatedly used self-checkout and left the store after paying for some items while allegedly failing to scan others in her cart.
The items were not limited to expensive products. They reportedly included cheaper items like a $2.19 bottle of Dr. Pepper, a $5.60 box of mechanical pencils, and a $54.42 throw pillow. The most expensive item she allegedly took was a mattress priced at $795.
In the footage, deputies asked McDonnell to speak somewhere private before telling her that she was being placed under arrest. “Me?” McDonnell responded, followed by “Oh my goodness” when she learned that the arrest was for grand theft from Target. The deputy also told her that they had video and photographs connected to the investigation.
McDonnell told the deputies that one of her children was sick at home and that her youngest child was seven. Officers allowed her to contact someone who could take care of them. During a phone call, she said: “I need you to leave work and go home like right now cuz I’m not able to go home.” She then explained why. “The sheriff’s office is here, and they’re arresting me,” McDonnell said. “They said for theft at Target for self-checkout.”
The $3,472.02 amount suspected by investigators also fell within Florida’s threshold for third-degree grand theft. Under Florida law, theft involving property worth at least $750 but less than $5,000 was classified as third-degree grand theft.
Published: Oct 8, 2026 11:57 am