When UF athlete Lloydricia Cameron got an early-morning call from her bank informing her about possible fraudulent purchases on her credit cards last month, she didn’t believe them.
“I told them that my cards were in the car in my wallet,” said Cameron, who won the 2017 Southeastern Conference shot put championship for women’s track and field.
Cameron, 21, said she immediately walked out of her apartment to check her silver Chevy Cruze, only to find the lock on her driver’s side door broken. Her UF athletics backpack and wallet, which held her debit and credit cards, were all gone.
“I keep basically all my stuff in my wallet,” Cameron said.
On May 31, police arrested Davontay Waller, 20, a second time for using Cameron’s debit cards to make fraudulent purchases, according to a Gainesville Police arrest report.
Two weeks prior, at about 7 p.m., Waller stole $174 in cash, a $15 Ross Stores gift card and multiple debit and credit cards from Cameron’s car, according to the report.
With Cameron’s cards, Waller spent more than $600 dollars at the Butler Plaza Wal-Mart. According to the report, he spent about $200 in the electronics department to activate a cell phone and another $194.65 on baby products at the self-checkout aisle.
The UF athlete said she did not know Waller before the incident.
Police initially arrested Waller on May 21 at The Oaks Mall for using one of Cameron’s cards to buy $783.31 worth of clothing at Banana Republic, according to the report. Waller had also spent $1,558.49 at Gap using Cameron’s card two days earlier.
Waller was released May 22 from the Alachua County Jail on his own recognizance. At the time, the only charges Waller faced were related to the Banana Republic purchases.
After arresting Waller the first time, police continued to investigate the purchase he made on May 17, and identified him on Wal-Mart security camera footage. He was wearing a distinctive gray hat and carrying a Gator backpack, which Cameron identified as her own, according to the report. Police then searched Waller’s Facebook page and found a picture of him wearing the same hat.
Waller admitted to buying a cell phone with a stolen card and said the Wal-Mart footage was of him, according to the report. He then told police that he later returned the phone for a refund.
As of Monday evening, Waller remains in the Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $16,000 bond. He faces charges including fraudulent use of credit cards, criminal use of personal identification and attempted grand theft auto.
Cameron said she plans to press charges against Waller.
She said she’s currently figuring out how to make up the cash Waller stole from her and gather the money to repair the car damages.
“I have to cover the charges for something I didn’t do,” Cameron said.
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter: @hoffdavid123.
