The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A woman was arrested after she was reportedly seen spitting fruit pieces from her mouth into produce bins at Walmart costing the store hundreds of dollars in loss of product.
Around 7:00 pm on April 22, a manager at the Holly Hill Walmart was working on ordering stock online when she reportedly saw a woman tampering with a sealed package of guava.
The manager reported that the shopper removed the guava from the package and bit into it. The woman then allegedly spit the pre-chewed fruit into her hand before taking another bite and spitting it into the opposite hand. Pieces of the chewed fruit, in addition to spit from the shopper’s mouth reportedly sprayed throughout a bin containing loose limes.
Afterward, the manager said she saw the woman walk a few feet to the bin holding loose oranges and alleged that she “projectile spat” all over them.
The reportedly shocked and concerned manager hurriedly confronted the woman, identified as Guatemala native Lisette Santis.
When Santis was asked why she was spitting all over the produce the woman reportedly shrugged it off and said, “I don’t know.” The manager detained the suspect in the loss prevention office and called the police.
When the Holly Hill police arrived at the Walmart they talked with the manager and got her statement and recorded surveillance video of the alleged incident, which was said to have backed up her narrative of the events.
An officer then interviewed Santis about the accusation and questioned her about what would cause her to do such a thing, and whether she is aware of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Santis, who was recorded in the affidavit as acting carefree as she allegedly giggled and smiled, confirmed that she knew about COVID-19 and reported that she was not suffering from it. She reportedly restated that she did not know why she did it, as she had previously told the manager when asked.
The police took Santis into custody, and she was booked into the Volusia County Jail in lieu of a $15,000 bond. She is facing charges for suspicion of recklessly tampering with a product, and it was reported that ICE is in the process of filing paperwork seeking to have the suspect permanently removed from the United States.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.