A Target employee was arrested Friday for stealing co-workers’ credit cards and using them to make purchases at Target and Publix, Gainesville Police said.
Desiree Renee Celeste Shirley, 24, took the cards while in the break room for employees at Target, located at 3970 SW Archer Road, according to an arrest report. The break room is where Target employees store their belongings during work.
Shirley took a Capital One Visa credit card sometime between Oct. 21 and Oct. 23 from a co-worker’s purse and tried to use it to buy more than $300 worth of gift cards Oct. 23, but the purchase was declined, according to the report.
Shirley took at least two other credit cards from the break room and used the cards to purchase or try to purchase gift cards from Target and Publix, according to the report. Police said she used planning, effort and experience to take the cards and make purchases quickly and nearby before the cards were reported stolen or shut off.
GPD arrested Shirley on charges of grand theft, scheming to defraud and obtain property and fraudulent use of credit cards at about 5:30 p.m. Friday. She was taken to the Alachua County Jail where she was released on her own recognizance Saturday at noon.
Shirley declined to comment on the incident.
Shirley
