A woman who turned in a lost wallet she found in a grocery cart is accused of stealing the cash from the wallet before she turned it over to a cashier.

Donna Maria Spears, 58, Linton, was arrested by Officer Cayden Walker of the Linton Police Department on Thursday, January 6.

Around 4 p.m. that Thursday, a woman reported she had left her wallet in a cart at Save-A-Lot and someone turned it in but the money that had been in her wallet was missing.

When Officer Walker, the investigating officer, and Officer Janzen Franklin arrived at the store, they were met by the woman who reported the issue and by Donna Spears, the woman who had found the wallet and turned it in.

When Officer Franklin talked to the woman who reported the theft, she said she had approximately $140 cash in her wallet, in $20 bills and $1 bills.

When Officer Walker talked to Spears, she said she was at the store to buy groceries and had found a cart outside the store. She said she pushed the cart inside and then took the wallet to a cashier. She denied getting into the wallet or taking anything from the wallet. She showed the contents of her own wallet where she had a $10 bill, three or four $5 bills and two or three $1 bills. She said after shopping, she paid for her groceries with her food stamp card and paid for other items with a $20 bill. She provided her phone number and address and was released from the scene.

A cashier confirmed what Spears said about her transaction.

When the officers viewed video from the store’s surveillance camera that showed the outside of the store where Spears was arriving and entering, they could see Spears placing something into a pocket but could not determine what it was. They then went to talk to Spears at her residence where Spears said she didn’t know what she had put into her pocket but she was putting her mask on before entering the store. She allowed the officers to check her coat and search her vehicle – they did not find the missing money and they left.

Then a little later, the LPD got a call from employees at Save-A-Lot who said they found they did have video that showed Spears taking the money from the wallet while she was inside of the store.

Officer Walker reported that when he viewed the video, it showed Spears entering the store then walking past the cash register area toward the bread display. She then walked to a corner of the store, stopped underneath a camera then opened the wallet. He said she can be seen taking the cash out, looking around, then getting her own wallet out and putting the cash in her own wallet. Then she took the wallet to the cashier and turned it in.

Shortly after that, Officer Walker and LPD Officer Bobby Pierce were knocking on the door of the Spears residence. When she answered, Officer Walker told her to get a coat since it was cold outside. Spears asked why she would need a coat and Officer Walker told her because she was going with him. She was handcuffed and taken to the police department for an interview but this time she declined to speak to the officer about the incident.

Spears was transported to the Greene County Jail where she was booked in at 7:46 p.m. with bond set at $1,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. She posted $100 and was released later the same night.

Spears is facing a charge of theft, a Class A misdemeanor. She is scheduled to be in Greene Superior Court on January 24 for her initial hearing.