Woman accused of stealing necklace worth $6K from jewelry store

LAKE WALES, Fla. — A Florida woman is accused of asking to see a necklace worth $6,000 at a jewelry store and then fleeing the business with it after a salesperson handed it over, authorities said.

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Shaneka Sherelle Webb, 37, of Tampa, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with two counts of grand theft, one count of fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer and driving with a suspended license or revoked (habitual traffic offender), according to Polk County Sheriff’s Office online booking records.

According to the Lake Wales Police Department, officers responded to a Kay Jewelers store in Lake Wales, located at the Eagle Ridge Mall, at about 3:19 p.m. EDT after receiving a report of a robbery, WTVT reported.

Employees told police that the woman had entered the store and asked to see a 24-inch, 10-karat gold necklace valued at $6,000, according to the television station. When an employee handed the necklace to the woman, later identified as Webb, she allegedly fled the store, police said.

Officers quickly located the suspect in the parking lot of a Gate gasoline station within a half-mile of the mall, according to Lake Wales News.

Officers attempted to stop Webb, but she fled in her vehicle before she was taken into custody at the nearby Sunshine Flea Market on U.S. 27, WTVT reported.

Webb was taken into custody without incident, according to the television station. Police said Webb no longer had the necklace in her possession when she was arrested.

The necklace was later recovered near the flea market, Lake Wales News reported.

Webb remains in custody at the Polk County Jail, online booking records show.

Lake Wales is located 63 miles east of downtown Tampa and 52 miles south of Orlando.