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Shoplifting charge against woman, 82, is dropped

She was accused of stealing a shrimp ring from a grocery store.

By NICOLE JOHNSON
Published August 17, 2005

The call came shortly after lunchtime Tuesday.

The greeting was in Greek.

It made her smile.

The state attorney's office said Tuesday it will not pursue shoplifting charges against Thelma Dalacos, the mother of Tarpon Springs Commissioner Peter Dalacos.

The 82-year-old's lawyer, Herbert Elliott, called Dalacos at home with the news just before she left for an eye doctor appointment Tuesday.

He identified himself as her "dikizoros," or lawyer in Greek, and said he had good news.

"That gave me a chuckle because he isn't even Greek," Dalacos said.

The state's decision not to press charges puts an end to more than a month of worry for the longtime Tarpon resident and her family and friends.

"I'm just thrilled," she said. "I thought it was about time."

Dalacos was arrested July 14 at the Winn-Dixie at 955 S Pinellas Ave. in Tarpon Springs.

While waiting for a butcher to grind a beef roast, Dalacos asked about a ring of shrimp. She then placed the shrimp in the plastic bag she had used to carry the beef. Once her beef was ground, Dalacos walked out the store and set off the alarm.

When approached outside by a store associate, Dalacos said she had forgotten about the shrimp and offered to pay.

The store manager refused and pressed charges.

"I came back in to pay for the thing," Dalacos said Tuesday. "I had my charge card right there waiting for the cashier and before you know it there was the assistant manager with the policeman, how he got there so fast, I'll never know."

Dalacos appeared in court Aug. 9. Winn-Dixie officials were also present, to say the company had decided not to pursue the charges. But the state attorney's office had yet to make a decision in the case.

Dalacos' predicament jolted the Tarpon community and beyond.

Dalacos, a former Tarpon Leader columnist, has lived in the city since age 5, when her family moved from St. Petersburg because there was no Greek church there.

In recent years, Dalacos said she's been taking medication for memory loss. Peter Dalacos said his mother's memory has worsened since an accident last year.

David Tobiassen, with the state attorney's office, said those facts should have been considered by the store manager.

"If maybe Winn-Dixie had been a little more reasonable, maybe this never would have made it here," said David Tobiassen, assistant county court director with the state attorney's office.

Winn-Dixie officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Dalacos said the news means rest for her and husband, Costas.

"I've had to hold him in my arms the last three nights because of all this," she said. "It's just something that never should have happened."

Nicole Johnson can be reached at 727771-4303 or njohnson@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 17, 2005, 01:08:12]