HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A woman allegedly pepper sprayed two deputies Wednesday at a Brooksville Walmart while being arrested for theft, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
A Hernando County deputy was at the Walmart on Cortez Boulevard to take a report for a theft that happened on Tuesday.
In the Tuesday theft, two suspects allegedly took a wallet from a victim’s purse and used the credit cards to make more than $2,000 in purchases, according to deputies.
While the deputy was at the store on Wednesday, officials said the suspects returned to the Walmart and were seen on live surveillance distracting a woman and taking a wallet from her purse.
The deputy approached the two women, who were later identified as Keyisha Henderson and Kierra Tolliver. Henderson reportedly pepper sprayed the deputy and tried to run away, deputies said.
Tolliver was detained by an employee, deputies said.
A second deputy saw Henderson attempt to leave the store, and she allegedly used pepper spray against the deputy, according to the sheriff’s office. The deputy grabbed his taser and Henderson dropped the pepper spray and was taken into custody.
Deputies said Henderson has an extensive criminal history, having been convicted of 39 felonies, mostly related to fraud. She was imprisoned five times and also had an active warrant out of St. Lucie County for criminal use of personal identification information, according to the sheriff’s office.
Henderson was also reportedly arrested eight times for failure to appear, deputies said.
Henderson was charged with fraudulent use of a credit card, two counts of petit theft, carrying a concealed firearm, two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer and two counts of resisting an officer with violence, according to deputies. She was taken to the Hernando County Detention Center on an $82,000 bond with a hold placed on her for the warrant out of St. Lucie County.
Tolliver was charged with two counts of petit theft and fraudulent use of a credit card, deputies said. She was given a $7,000 bond at the Hernando County Detention Center.