Police Blotter: Shoplifting Suspects Come In All Ages

Shopliftings

Four shoplifting suspects – one as young as 13, another as old as 72 – were arrested by Lawrence Township police during three separate incidents on Thursday, May 19, according to Lt. Charles Edgar, police department spokesman.

Jennie Miller, 72, of the 1500 block of Parkside Avenue, Ewing, was arrested shortly after 4 p.m. that day for allegedly trying to steal $60 worth of assorted merchandise – including gum, tape, cooking spray and markers – from the Acme supermarket at Lawrence Shopping Center in the 2400 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1), Edgar said. He said a store employee allegedly saw Miller conceal items in her purse.

Officer Ed Podbielski charged Miller with shoplifting, Edgar said, nothing that the 72-year-old woman was also wanted in connection with two outstanding warrants from Ewing Township totaling $151.

Katrina Lowe, 19, of Hillsdale Road, Lawrence, and Jessica Wigfall, 24, of Tinton Falls in Monmouth County, were both arrested about 5:10 p.m. that day after they allegedly stole merchandise from the Lord & Taylor department store at Quaker Bridge Mall in the 3300 clock of Brunswick Pike (Route 1), Edgar said.

While inside a fitting room, Lowe allegedly concealed a bra worth $38, while Wigfall allegedly hid $136 worth of clothing, he said.  Having seen the two leave the fitting room empty-handed and finding the fitting room empty of merchandise, store loss prevention officers followed the women as they exited the store without paying and detained them until Sgt. Chris Longo arrived, according to Edgar.

Upon being caught, Edgar said, Wigfall allegedly kicked one of the store employees in the leg, but the 25-year-old man was not seriously hurt. Wigfall, who was allegedly found in possession of a small amount of marijuana, was charged with possession of marijuana, simple assault and shoplifting, he said. He said Lowe was charged with shoplifting.

And a 13-year-old boy from Trenton was arrested about 7:40 p.m. that day after he allegedly stole three Polo shirts and six hats – worth a total of $582 – from the Macy’s department store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. The boy allegedly concealed the merchandise in a backpack he was carrying, he said. After leaving the store without paying, the boy was detained by store loss prevention officials. He was charged with shoplifting by Officer Andres Mejia.

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Criminal Mischief

At 7:22 p.m. on Thursday, May 19, township police received a call from a resident of Avalon Run – an apartment complex located off Grovers Mill Road and Quakerbridge Road – reporting that several children were on the roof of one of the complex’s carports, removing shingles from the roof. There were no children to be found when officers arrived, but six torn shingles were found discarded nearby, according to Edgar.

At 5:38 p.m. the following day, Friday, May 20, police received another call about five juveniles – including a girl – on the roof of a carport in the complex, he said. Again, no one was on the roof when officers arrived, but more damaged shingles were found. A search of the area was made and officers located a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl who fit some of the descriptions given by the caller, he said. He said the juveniles were interviewed and the incidents remain under investigation.

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Fraud  

A 44-year-old resident of Gedney Road contacted police at 12:27 p.m. on Friday, May 20, to report that someone was trying to defraud her. The woman, who operates a home-based business selling Avon products, told police she received an order for $200 worth of products. Accompanying the order was a check for $1,950 that had instructions advising her to cash the check, keep $200 for the products, and then wire the remaining money to an address in Florida via Western Union or MoneyGram, according to Edgar.

He said the woman realized that the order was a scam and contacted police. Had the woman followed the instructions and cashed the check, she would have likely wired the $1,750 to Florida before her bank discovered that the check was a fake – meaning that the woman would have been responsible for the money she had been given by the bank.

“This happens frequently. When people receive a check for an amount larger that it should be and they are asked to deposit the check and send the difference, it should obviously be suspicious,” Edgar said. “Even if you believe it to be a legitimate business transaction, as this appeared to be, receiving a check for substantially more than the amount required should be viewed with suspicion. You deposit their check and send the balance back right away, and then their check bounces and you are out the money you sent them. People need to be on their guard against this kind of scam.”

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Shoplifting

Police are working to identify a woman who stole $103.77 worth of skin care products from the Acme supermarket at Lawrence Shopping Center. The woman purchased two Olay beauty products but later returned the items for a refund.

Edgar said store officials called police at 1:50 p.m. on Friday, May 20, after a review of the store’s surveillance camera footage allegedly showed the woman take four items off a shelf, put two in her shopping cart, and conceal two products for which she never paid. The woman was described as black, about 20 years old, wearing black pants, gold earrings and a blue jacket. She had short black hair and a birthmark on her right cheek. Officer Andrews Mejia is investigating.

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Forgery

Management at the CVS Pharmacy in the 1900 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) called police at 6:21 p.m. on Friday, May 20, to report that a man had tried to obtain a quantity of Oxycodone by using a fraudulent prescription.

Edgar said the man presented the fake prescription at the pharmacy counter. When he was asked for proof of identity, the man told the pharmacist he needed to go out to his car to retrieve his driver’s license. After the man failed to return, the pharmacist discovered that the prescription was a forgery, Edgar said.

He said the man was described as black, about 33 years old, 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet 2 inches tall, with a medium build. He was wearing a gray jacket, blue jeans and dark-colored shoes.

Officer Andres Mejia is investigating.

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Shoplifting   

Zara Ikram, 22, of the 1200 block of Pheasant Hollow Drive in Plainsboro, was arrested about 7:20 p.m. on Friday, May 20, for allegedly stealing two rings, a necklace and a bracelet worth $78 from the J.C. Penny department store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. He said Ikram allegedly hid the items inside her purse while she was inside a fitting room. She was detained by store loss prevention officials after she left the store without paying, he said, and was then charged with shoplifting by Sgt. Chris Longo.

 Anyone with information about any of the above crimes is asked to call Lawrence Township police at (609) 896-1111.

 A copy of Lawrence Township's police dispatch log for Thurday, May 19, through Friday, May 20, 2011, can be viewed from the PDF box above. This log lists all significant calls for service and incidents for which officers filed a written report. Routine administrative assignments are omitted. Some data has been redacted to protect the identity of crime victims.