The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Kissimmee woman and a man on Monday, October 5, after an investigation into two retail thefts and a stolen vehicle that stretched across Poinciana, Kissimmee and Davenport.
Deputies arrested 46-year-old Jessica Knight on a warrant and on new charges after they stopped her in a stolen Ford Focus. A passenger, 50-year-old Marshall Callahan, also went to jail.
Publix theft started the case
The investigation began Sunday, October 4, when deputies went to the Publix on U.S. Highway 27 in Davenport to take a theft report. An employee told detectives she saw a suspect push a shopping cart full of Tide and Gain detergent pods out of the store without paying. She said the suspect drove away in a black Ford.
Detectives used surveillance video to identify Knight. They obtained a warrant charging her with felony petit theft because of her prior theft convictions.
Stolen car found in Kissimmee
On Monday, deputies learned that someone had spotted a stolen black 2013 Ford Focus near Marigold Avenue and Walnut Street in Kissimmee. The car matched the description of the Ford seen leaving the Publix.
Someone reported the Ford stolen to the Kissimmee Police Department on October 4, just before the Publix theft. The car was taken from the parking lot of Osceola Regional Medical Center, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies stopped Knight while she was driving the Ford and arrested her on the warrant. A check showed her driver’s license had been revoked since 2014.
Dollar General theft added
Knight also faces a charge tied to a theft at the Dollar General on Palmetto Street in Kissimmee, which happened shortly before the stop. An employee there said she saw a suspect take multiple items and leave without paying.
Detectives identified Knight from surveillance footage. When deputies stopped her, she wore the same clothing seen in the video, and they found a basket of the stolen merchandise in the rear seat of the Ford. The Dollar General items totaled $124.67.
Knight is charged with driving with a suspended license, two counts of felony petit theft and grand theft of a motor vehicle. Callahan is charged with trespassing and violation of probation.
“Through good investigative work and cooperation between our deputies, detectives, and local businesses, we were able to quickly identify the suspect and recover a stolen vehicle and merchandise. Jessica Knight has proven that if she’s not locked up, she’s stealing. We will continue to hold those who steal from our community and businesses accountable for their actions.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.
Criminal histories
Knight has five felony convictions and five misdemeanor convictions, the Sheriff’s Office said. Her record includes robbery, burglary, theft, criminal mischief, fraud, traffic offenses, narcotics offenses and battery.
Callahan has two felony convictions and four misdemeanor convictions. His record includes aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, battery, assault, violation of a domestic violence injunction and narcotics offenses.
Sheriff Grady Judd leads the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The charges against Knight and Callahan are accusations, and a court will decide them.