A Philadelphia woman was arrested and charged July 6 after she allegedly attempted to steal $5,443 worth of items from Macy’s at Montgomery Mall.
Montgomery Township Police were dispatched to the store at 8:03 p.m. for a report of a retail theft in progress. When police arrived at the scene, they reportedly saw the suspect, later identified as 30-year-old Patricia Carter, run with multiple clothing items into the passenger side of a vehicle with a male driver.
According to the criminal complaint, police asked Carter to get out of the vehicle and pointed their taser at the driver, but both ignored the command and drove away. Another officer in the area managed to stop the vehicle as it was exiting the mall parking lot, police said.
After repeatedly refusing to comply with police, Carter was physically removed from the vehicle where she continued to resist arrest, according to the criminal complaint. The driver was also detained while this was happening, police said.
Upon searching the vehicle, police reportedly found some of the stolen merchandise from Macy's, including a belt and hats. Additionally, when the driver was searched, he was allegedly found to be in possession of cocaine.
When police spoke with an employee at Macy’s, they said they grabbed a stack of clothing out of Carter’s arms, the report states. However, each time they did that, Carter would allegedly grab more merchandise and continue toward the exit. Carter reportedly attempted to steal an estimated $5,443 worth of items, but only managed to exit the store with $405 worth of merchandise.
As a result of the incident, Carter was charged with one felony count of retail theft along with misdemeanor counts of retail theft, receiving stolen property and resisting arrest.
Carter was arraigned the following day by District Judge Andrea Duffy, who set bail at $5,000 unsecured. She was then released from custody, and her next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Aug. 9 at 11:15 a.m. in front of Judge Duffy.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Suspect Stole More Than $10,000 in Merch Via 14 Trips to Hilltown Walmart in One Month, Police Say
Man Accused of Raping 7-Year-Old Girl in Hatfield
Florida Man Accused of Soliciting Nude Photos from Juvenile Female in Bucks County
Man Accused of Repeatedly Sexually Fondling Local Elderly Woman Who is Blind, Deaf and Mute
