By Staff Reporter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 19-year-old woman named Alana Jolie Smith is facing charges after allegedly pilfering cash and credit cards from lockers at the University of Florida’s Southwest Recreation Center on multiple occasions.
The University of Florida Police Department launched an investigation following reports from several women who noticed their belongings had been tampered with at the Recreation Center. The incidents reportedly occurred on April 18, 20, 21, and 22.
The first incident on April 18 involved a victim’s bag being relocated from one locker to another. Upon recovery, it was evident that the bag had been searched, resulting in the theft of $17 in cash and a $20 Starbucks gift card. The following day, April 19, the same victim discovered unauthorized charges on her debit card: $20 on the Bird app and $48.99 at the TikTok shop.
On April 20, two more victims reported their bags had been moved and subsequently found missing $115 in cash and a $25 gift card. One of these victims later identified an unauthorized $29.88 charge for Doordash on her debit card, noticed on April 21.
The same day, another victim’s bag was relocated to a different locker. This victim reported the theft of $20 in cash, along with gift cards for Starbucks, Dunkin’, and two Visa gift cards.
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.
