A 38-year-old resident of a notorious villa in The Villages was arrested on shoplifting charges.
Jennifer Smith was arrested on Friday for stealing $179 in basketball cards from Target at Rolling Acres Plaza, according to the arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. She had placed the Panini Mega Box basketball cards in her purse, which was slung over her shoulder. The police stopped her after she attempted to leave the business without paying for the merchandise.
Smith identifies her address as 1404 Azteca Loop in the Escandido Villas, which has caused significant worry in the community due to two recent SWAT operations. A villa community resident recently approached the Community Development District 2 Board of Supervisors, appealing for aid. She expressed surprise at the extent of drug activity at 1404 Azteca Loop and claimed that the house is overcrowded, with up to nine people living in the garage at any given time.
Smith was brought into jail and lodged in the Lake County Jail. The Lake County Jail released Smith after she posted $1,000. In 2021, Smith was convicted of theft in Marion County.
