Staff Report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a surprising turn of events, 60-year-old Carol Craig Sweat was taken into custody on allegations of shoplifting at a Home Depot store. Authorities claim that she attempted to make off with a variety of items, including plants, cleaning products, and a door lock.

The incident unfolded around 4:33 p.m. on October 23, when a Loss Prevention Officer at the Home Depot located at 7107 NW 4th Boulevard observed a woman selecting several live plants from an outdoor display area. Expecting her to proceed inside to purchase the items, the officer entered the store. However, upon returning outside shortly after, he found the cart abandoned and the woman gone.

According to the officer’s account, the woman next picked up a fruit tree and placed it in her cart, then wheeled the cart to her vehicle to unload the tree.

She reportedly returned to the store, grabbed a new cart, and began filling it with Swiffer cleaning products. The officer stated that she also picked up a door lock set priced at $26.47, discreetly stashing it in her large purse while in a secluded aisle. He observed her exiting the store without paying for any of the items, including the lock set and the previously taken plants.

The LPO stopped the woman, later identified as Sweat, and she agreed to come back inside the store. Inside the store, Sweat reportedly opened her purse and gave the LPO several items that she said had been stolen from Home Depot. She also reportedly admitted to stealing several plants and brought the plants back from her vehicle.

Because Sweat had a dog in her car, the LPO released her before law enforcement arrived.

The responding Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officer reported that the photographic evidence supplied by the LPO left “no doubt” that the suspect was Sweat. She was arrested yesterday at GPD Headquarters.

Sweat has been charged with felony petit theft, third or subsequent offense. She has five felony convictions (non-violent) and eight misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); she has served one state prison sentence for felony petit theft and was released in June 2024. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $20,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.