Police make multiple arrests for shoplifting

By Rich Flowers

May 06, 2008 09:47 am

— Shoplifters attempting to take merchandise from the Wal-Mart in Athens found the pickings difficult over the weekend due to alert store security personnel.
Between 1:30 p.m. Saturday and 9:03 p.m. Sunday, the Athens Police Department responded to multiple calls concerning individuals spotted attempting to steal items from the store.
Local Wal-Mart officials declined to comment about the attempted thefts.
APD received the first call at 1:13 p.m. Saturday, when the Wal-Mart Loss Prevention Officer detained William Lafayette Lee. Lee was arrested and charged with theft between $50 and $500. He remained in the Henderson County Jail Monday with bond set at $1,000 on the theft charge. Lee was also held for failure to pay a fine resulting from a previous offense.
At 6:51 p.m., Wal-Mart detained two women who had allegedly attempted to steal items valued at under $50. Shawna Kay Simpson, 20 and Natasha Deshawn Jackson, 22, were each issued a citations and escorted from the property.
At 10:10 p.m., Angela Denise Levias, 31, was arrested for theft between $50 and $500 and booked into the Henderson County Jail. A short time later, APD was notified that Levias had given a false name at her original booking. She was re-booked, with the additional charge of failure to provide an ID. Levias was later released after posting a total bond of $2,500.
Sunday afternoon, at 1:08 p.m., Wal-Mart reported another shoplifting suspect in custody. John Wesley Dodd, 24, was booked for theft under $50. Dodd was later released after posting $1,000 bond.
At 7:49 p.m. a 15-year-old girl was cited for theft under $50 and released to her mother. The final call came at 9:03 p.m. when two 19-year-old women were arrested for theft over $50. Charlisa Medack and Jozie Quinonez were booked into jail and released after each posted a $500 bond.
According to a 2007 Associated Press story, Wal-Mart has tightened guidelines for store managers concerning shoplifting. Wal-Mart said an increase in shoplifting, employee theft and other inventory loss were among factors hurting profitability.
The company would not reveal the dollar amount of theft in its stores but reported that it was less than the national average. Overall, from $30 billion to $40 billion dollars is lost to U.S. retailers due to theft.