How much is 14 cans of stolen baby formula worth? A felony, cops say

A 32-year-old Bradenton woman faces a felony grand theft charge after cops say she walked out of Target with 14 cans of baby formula valued at almost $650.

“How do you know they stolen,” asked Amalia Arredondo when confronted by a Manatee County Sheriff’s deputy.

According to an arrest report, the theft occurred May 20 and Arredondo initially was able to get away from the store. Loss prevention didn’t catch the theft until days later when security video was being reviewed. The report states that the video shows Arredondo taking the baby formula and placing them into reusable bags.

Cops say she then left the store without paying and climbed into the passenger side of an awaiting vehicle. Deputies were able to make out the license plate and made contact with a relative of Arredondo, who denied any knowledge of the theft.

Once Arredondo’s identify was confirmed on June 15, it was discovered she was already in the Manatee County jail after being arrested June 1 on a charge of possession of a controlled substance.

“Is there a picture of her not paying for it?” Arredondo asked.

Indeed there was and more.

The deputy showed Arredondo the video of her allegedly taking the merchandise, at which time she said, “Oh, yeah no, I need my lawyer. I am not going down for stealing no 14 cans of formula.”

According to jail records, Arredondo has a lengthy arrest record dating back to 2012 for a range of charges, including drug possession, violation of drug court, petty theft, grand theft and motor vehicle theft.

This story was originally published June 21, 2019 at 12:32 PM.