On May 22, an employee of a consignment store in Deltona observed a 33-year-old woman in the store who “was known to have previous retail theft charges.” When notified, the store owner began watching the woman remotely, and let an employee on the scene know that the woman was currently shoplifting.
The employee asked Shoplifter to “remove merchandise that she had concealed in her purse.” Sure enough, Shoplifter pulled out seven items. The owner told Shoplifter she was no longer welcome in the store.
The employee told the owner the woman had also been in the store twice three days earlier, May 19. So security camera footage from that day was consulted, and yes, twice that day the 33-year-old woman had come into the store and left with goods she didn’t pay for.
The first time, Shoplifter took clothes for babies and a teething toy, with a total value of $34.88. (Does she have one or more children of her own? If not, was she stealing things to give to a friend who does have kids?)
On the second visit May 19, Shoplifter paid for two hair bows and a dress but stole another bow and another dress in her purse. Those stolen items had a total value of between $7 and $8.
The store’s owner told a Volusia County sheriff’s deputy that Shoplifter has been a customer of her consignment store for more than 11 years and has sold items to them quite a few times.
The total value of things Shoplifter stole on May 19 was a little over $42. Yet, because she was convicted of petty theft twice (in 2012 and 2017), her May 19 thievery will count as felonies.
Stealing those items that have so little value doesn’t make much sense, especially since doing so and being caught could result in arrest, prosecution and possible incarceration. So a thought here: Could it be that Shoplifter suffers from kleptomania, an abnormal but powerful impulse to steal, which she’s largely unable to resist?
— By Keith Allen, based on local police-agency reports. If you have information about a crime, call Crime Stoppers, 1-888-277-TIPS. You could be eligible for a reward.
