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In Gainesville, Florida, a 19-year-old woman named Alana Jolie Smith found herself in legal trouble following allegations of theft at the University of Florida’s Southwest Recreation Center. Authorities have accused her of pilfering cash and credit cards from lockers on multiple occasions.
The University of Florida Police Department launched an investigation after receiving reports from women who claimed that their belongings had mysteriously vanished from their lockers on four separate dates: April 18, 20, 21, and 22. The incidents have raised concerns among the Recreation Center’s patrons about the security of their personal items.
The first incident unfolded on April 18, when a victim’s bag was relocated from one locker to another. Upon retrieval, it was evident that the bag had been tampered with, resulting in the loss of $17 in cash and a $20 Starbucks gift card. The following day, April 19, this victim discovered two unauthorized transactions on her debit card, including a $20 charge on the Bird app and a $48.99 purchase at the TikTok shop.
On April 20, the situation escalated as two additional victims reported their bags being moved, leading to the theft of $115 in cash and a $25 gift card. The pattern continued on April 21, when one of the victims detected a $29.88 charge for Doordash on her debit card, further compounding the concerns of those affected.
On April 20, bags belonging to two victims were moved from a locker at the Recreation Center; after they were found, $115 in cash and a $25 gift card were reported as missing from the bags. On April 21, one of the victims noticed a charge of $29.88 for Doordash on her debit card.
On April 21, a bag belonging to a fourth victim was moved to a different locker, and after the bag was found, the victim reported that $20 in cash, a Starbucks gift card, a Dunkin’ gift card, and two Visa gift cards were missing.
On April 22, a bag belonging to a fifth victim was moved to a different locker, and surveillance video reportedly showed Smith standing in front of the lockers for about 11 minutes, trying the handles of various lockers. When a locker opened, Smith is shown moving a bag from that locker to a different locker. A short time later, the fifth victim can be seen walking to her locker and looking for her bag while Smith surreptitiously watches; after the victim leaves, Smith is seen returning to the backpack and rummaging through it before leaving it in the second locker. Smith can be seen trying to open several other lockers before leaving the area. The victim reported that $40 in cash was missing from her bag. On April 23, the fifth victim noticed an unauthorized charge on her credit card for $133.74 at Petco.
Smith gave consent for a search of her phone, and officers reportedly found a picture of the first victim’s debit card and an email from the TikTok Shop, a picture of the second and third victims’ bank cards and an email for a Doordash order, a picture of the fourth victim’s credit and debit cards, and a picture of the fifth victim’s credit card, along with a canceled Petco order.
Smith, who is described as a UF student in a court document, has been charged with three counts of engaging in a scheme to defraud, one felony count of fraudulent use of a credit card, three counts of unlawful use of a two-way communications device, two misdemeanor counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, and five counts of petit theft. She has no criminal history, and Judge Bo Bayer set bail at $28,000 ($2,000 per charge).
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.