Sarasota County woman stopped for shoplifting, arrested for cocaine

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) - A North Port woman originally arrested for shoplifting is now charged with possession of cocaine after officers found contraband during a full-body scan. The drugs were found in what Stephanie Debaggis originally claimed was a tampon, but after removing it, deputies found two pieces of rock cocaine.

The call to police came from a Loss Prevention Officer at Walmart, who explained that Stephanie Debaggis had been “skip scanning” items--that is, scanning the first item of a kind, then bagging the rest. When noticed by the LPO, Debaggis fled the store, pushing past him when he tried to halt her cart.

North Port police eventually caught up to Debaggis, who deputies later confirmed had paid for about $300 worth of items and had stolen about $12 worth. Nevertheless, NPPD brought her back to Walmart, where she was arrested. A civil citation was not permissible because Debaggis fled the scene.

While being booked by the Sarasota County Sheriffs Office, Corrections Officers conducted a full-body scan to determine if Debaggis had any other contraband on her person, and when they did, what Debaggis originally claimed was a tampon was revealed to be .9 grams of rock cocaine.

Debaggis is charged with Possession of Cocaine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Resisting Recovery of Property, and Petit Theft under 100 Dollars.