A Florida TikTok influencer arrested after she posted video of what authorities alleged was a haul of stolen Target objects was arrested once more and accused of shoplifting from the identical retailer in at the very least one different occasion, police stated.
Marlena Velez, 22, was arrested based mostly on an allegation of petty theft, a misdemeanor, police in Cape Coral, about 130 miles south of Tampa, stated in a press release Monday. A time code on video of her arrest posted by police on Facebook exhibits Velez was taken into custody Saturday.
“Officers acknowledged Marlena Velez from a previous arrest and have been capable of positively establish her,” the Cape Coral Police Department stated.
It wasn’t clear whether or not Velez, who amassed 360,000 followers on TikTok with content material based mostly on her life elevating two kids, has authorized counsel for both case. The public defender’s workplace for Florida’s twentieth Judicial Circuit didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark Monday evening.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office inmate information say that Velez’s newest reserving occurred Saturday afternoon and that she posted $500 bond for her launch on Sunday afternoon. The information checklist the identical courtroom date scheduled for her final arrest: Dec. 10.The preliminary arrest occurred after police tracked down Velez by means of suggestions and social media sleuthing, Cape Coral police stated.
Target loss-reduction staff known as officers to report a theft had occurred on Oct. 30 and confirmed officers video of a lady they accused of stealing, police stated. Police stated Velez paid a decrease quantity for family items and clothes collectively priced at $500.32.
Police stated they discovered Velez sporting the identical clothes in a submit on TikTok from the day of the theft. They additionally stated she confirmed off a few of the ill-gotten objects on the platform.
Police stated that whereas she was in jail after that arrest, Velez was recorded on safety cameras saying, “Lesson realized.” Police stated Velez instructed officers she didn’t recall committing theft on the retailer however admitted the particular person on safety video was her.
On Monday, the police division reported Velez’s second arrest, the results of Target loss-prevention staff’ alleging the identical girl did the identical factor on Nov. 20.
In each circumstances, police allege, Velez selected objects from the shop however when she acquired to a self-checkout terminal she scanned bar codes with decrease costs.
The newest alleged theft concerned 16 objects described as miscellaneous family items and clothes value $225, police stated.
Officers stated that in the newest case, they have been additionally capable of establish the suspect although safety pictures of her within the retailer together with her telephone — together with her household wallpaper on the machine the identical as a photograph posted on her Instagram account, police stated.
Furthermore, they stated, a person who was together with her had a particular tattoo that matched imagery of a tattoo seen on Velez’s TikTok account.
Taken alone, the cost of petty theft in Florida may lead to a most of 60 days behind bars if prosecutors transfer ahead and are profitable. But if Velez is charged and convicted sequentially for each circumstances, she may face a most sentence of 1 yr behind bars, in line with Florida legislation.