Career shoplifter sentenced to 30 years after $20,000 sunglasses heist in Tampa
By CAROLINA BORGES
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TAMPA, Florida (WSVN) — A career shoplifter landed herself behind bars after she went on a sunglasses heist at a retail store in Tampa.
Surveillance video captured Ernesha Atmore using a soft-sided cooler to steal approximately $20,000 worth of designer sunglasses.
Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez says a theft caught on video a couple of years ago, may have sealed her fate.
“She committed one of the most brazen thefts I’ve heard of. She went into a Sunglass Hut at International Plaza and had a soft-sided cooler, and she just scooped up about $20,000 in designer sunglasses. When the employee said, ‘What are you doing,’ she said, ‘I have a taser.’ And, as you know, a taser is a weapon,” explained Lopez.
After Atmore’s arrest, police officers found stolen goods in her car, which were collected as evidence. Atmore’s criminal record led to her facing stiffer penalties as she had had multiple convictions in the past.
Although she was offered a plea deal of three years by prosecutors, Atmore chose to go to trial, where a jury found her guilty. She now faces a 30 year prison sentence.
Before her sentencing, Atmore faced two additional theft charges, including the incident at a Zales jewelry store in Brandon Center Mall, where she attempted to steal a ring valued at $8,749.99. This added more time to her prison sentence.
As the proceedings continued, Atmore showed no remorse as she smiled for the camera during her booking. She is now going away for 30 years and six months and won’t be free again until she’s nearly 60 years old.
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