An Athens woman who allegedly wheeled a cart of merchandise out of a Dollar General without paying for it and, when confronted, claimed to own the cart, the store and to be Jesus Christ is now facing a shoplifting charge, an official said.

Pamela Graves Thornton, 54, of 18078 E. Limestone Road, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of fourth-degree theft, records show.

On Wednesday evening, Limestone County Sheriff’s Deputy Shannon Thrasher responded to a call about a shoplifter at the store at 15024 E. Limestone Road, according to the report he filed. He arrived to find Thornton in the parking lot next to a shopping car full of merchandise. Standing nearby was a Dollar General employee who told Thrasher the woman had left the store without paying for the goods.

The employee told the deputy she had warned Thornton she would be arrested for shoplifting if she did not pay for the items. The employee also told the deputy that although Thornton was unresponsive and incoherent she had said the items belonged to her, the store belonged to her and that she was Jesus Christ. The employee said Thornton had been acting strangely while in the store, consuming a sherbet Push-Up without paying for it.

The deputy found 73 items in Thornton’s car valued at $338. The items were photographed as evidence and returned to the store.