A Boca Raton woman and her mother face felony retail theft charges after police said they used a dog stroller to hide merchandise from shops at The Boca Raton resort. The women were arrested Sunday afternoon.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by BocaNewsNow.com, store employees reported a shoplifting around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The suspects had left before resort security arrived. Security reviewed video the next morning and alerted officers.
When the pair returned around midday Sunday, security followed them and called police, saying the women had become verbally aggressive. A Boca Raton police officer detained them near the Mizner Boulevard exit.
Police said video showed Joanne Denardo, 60s, pushing a stroller with a dog inside while she tucked a pair of shoes behind the animal. Her daughter, Danielle Victoria Spoleti, 30, allegedly walked back wearing store shoes and carrying the beige pair she came in with. Investigators confirmed losses of three pairs of shoes at $475 each and two swim trunks at $150 each.
Denardo told the officer she had come back to return two bathing suits because she felt guilty. The officer found them, tags still attached, under the dog’s mat. Both women were booked into the Palm Beach County Jail. Bond for Spoleti was set at $5,000.
Charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
