Authorities arrested a woman at a home near The Villages after the homeowner told deputies the woman had been staying there without permission and sold a washer and dryer from the residence, according to an arrest affidavit.

Candice Meshelle Mackey, 40, was charged with grand theft and dealing in stolen property after investigators said a neighbor told them he bought the washer-and-dryer set from her for $150 and another witness identified the appliances as ones previously kept inside the home.

According to an arrest affidavit from the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, the homeowner, identified as Denise Lombardi, told police that the appliance came with the home and belonged to the residence.

She also claimed that Mackey was a squatter and had repeatedly been told to leave, but continued to stay at the home. The single family home, in Summerfield, is near The Villages, a sprawling 55+ housing community in Central Florida.

The owner told police, according to the affidavit, that she had gone to the residence a couple of months ago and realized Mackey had been squatting there.

Lombardi’s nephew, identified as James, who was paying rent at the home, invited Mackey to stay with him without permission.

Despite being ordered from the house in December, she still had not left and was served a notice to vacate by March 31.

A neighbor first alerted the homeowner after he bought a Frigidaire washer and dryer that Mackey was selling for $150.

The buyer later told law enforcement that his washer and dryer stopped working, so when he noticed Mackey moving out, he bought what he thought was hers for $150. Once he found out the set did not belong to her, he tried to return it and get his money back without success, the report said.

Mackey told deputies she had purchased the appliances after being released from jail, but investigators said she gave conflicting accounts of when she bought them and could not provide proof they were hers.

She was arrested on charges of grand theft, a property value of $750 to $5,000, and dealing in stolen property. She was booked in the Marion County Jail and released after posting $5,000 bond.

PHOENIX — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he has no plans to end the league’s Rooney Rule despite recent objections from Florida’s attorney general, who wrote that the league’s minority hiring guidelines violate Florida state law.

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Goodell — speaking on Tuesday at the end of the NFL league meetings — acknowledged the changing political landscape for diversity initiatives in the U.S., but added that he didn’t believe there should be any legal issues with the league’s policy.

“The Rooney Rule has been around a long time,” Goodell said. “We’ve evolved it, changed it. We’ll continue to do that.”

Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to Goodell last week saying the league’s 23-year-old Rooney Rule amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.”

The Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least two minority candidates for head coach, general manager and coordinator positions. At least one minority candidate must be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach position.

Goodell noted that similar diversity guidelines were used in other industries.

“One thing that doesn’t change is our values and we believe in diversity and its benefit to the National Football League,” Goodell said. “We are well aware of the laws and where the laws are changing and evolving. We think the Rooney Rule is consistent with those and we certainly will engage with the Florida AG or anybody else as we have in the past to talk about our policies.”

Goodell also expressed support for the NFL Accelerator Program, which is returning in May after a hiatus in 2025. The program is used to promote diversity in leadership roles, and was expanded to include candidates of all backgrounds this year.

First-year Atlanta Falcons GM Ian Cunningham said Monday that diversity should still be a priority for the league.

“Just from my position, especially being a Black man, there’s still work to be done,” Cunningham told The Associated Press. “Now that I’m in this position and have this platform, I’m going to be intentional about what we do from a grassroots effort to a director level.

“I do think it’s important to give people of all races and sexes a chance to be in a position to further their career.”