JENSEN BEACH — A 64-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with theft after deputies say she took a box of donated toys from a Jensen Beach restaurant last week, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said.
Cecilia Josephine Milano was taken into custody after tips from the public helped deputies identify her, according to the sheriff’s office. Milano is accused of stealing a large donation box of toys from the Barbecue Beer Company on Dec. 15. The toys were intended for a charity drive benefiting a specific needy family.
Deputies previously asked for the public’s help in identifying a woman seen in security video removing the box from the restaurant.
The footage showed the woman, who had been sitting at the bar earlier, dragging the donation box out of the establishment. When questioned by a patron, she said she was taking the toys to a donation center, authorities said.
Investigators later determined the toys never arrived at any donation site and that Milano was not authorized by the restaurant or any organization to remove them.
Milano was booked into the Martin County Jail on a $2,500 bond, according to the sheriff’s office.