'That's not a mistake': Florida sisters caught trying to steal nearly $2,500 worth of merchandise by covering their shopping carts with Target bags, deputies say

Two Florida women, sisters, were precocious arrested aft a buying travel to a large container retailer ended successful theft and a belated mea culpa that could not support them retired of jail, Sunshine State authorities say.

Afnane Kamel, 19, and Hala Kamel, 32, basal accused of 1 number each of expansive theft and conspiracy to perpetrate expansive theft, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

On Nov. 4, deputies arrived astatine a Target connected Grandview Parkway successful Davenport – a tiny municipality located astir 35 miles southwest of Orlando – successful effect to a reported retail theft, according to an affidavit obtained by LawCrime.

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The sisters were already successful custody astatine the nonaccomplishment prevention bureau erstwhile deputies arrived conscionable earlier 9 p.m., according to the affidavit.

Then, a store worker told instrumentality enforcement the defendants walked successful astir 7:30 p.m., based connected surveillance footage, authorities say.

"[The employee] stated helium witnessed Hala and Afnane to beryllium making accelerated selections passim the store and placing them into 1 of 2 Target buying carts they some had successful their possession astatine the clip of the incident," the affidavit reads. "[The employee] stated helium witnessed Hala and Afnane effort to conceal immoderate of the items successful the buying carts by taking Target buying bags, splitting them up, and laying them connected apical of the items they placed successful the carts."

The worker described an effort by some defendants to conceal 2 buying carts "full of unpaid Target merchandise with the buying bags" earlier "walking to the beforehand entranceway of the store," according to the affidavit.

Just earlier 8:30 p.m., the brace were seen connected surveillance footage "walking past each last points of sale, and continuing towards the beforehand entranceway doors with the concealed buying carts," the affidavit alleges. Then, the worker himself is seen connected the video stopping some sisters and escorting them to the nonaccomplishment prevention office.

In sum, the full worth of the merchandise allegedly stolen by the duo was $2,487.70 – earlier taxation – according to the sheriff's office.

But the siblings said they could spend it, deputies say.

"Upon archetypal interaction with Hala and Afnane they spontaneously stated they could wage the magnitude owed successful bid to get retired of occupation with instrumentality enforcement," the affidavit goes on.

After being work their Miranda rights, some defendants allegedly "admitted to taking the items from Target" and said they "decided to bargain the items portion successful the store and not before," the affidavit continues.

The defendants were subsequently arrested and detained successful the Polk County Jail. They were some granted and posted enslaved – though successful somewhat antithetic amounts – connected Nov. 12, tribunal records show.

"When you locomotion into a store and effort to permission with astir $2,500 worthy of unpaid merchandise, that's not a mistake—that's a crime," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said successful a press release. "Thanks to a vigilant subordinate who saw thing and said something, our deputies were capable to respond rapidly and marque the arrest."