Montgomery Township Police Photo by James Short.
The defendant remains jailed at Montgomery County Correctional Facility on a probation/parole detainer.
A Philadelphia woman with a history of retail theft convictions and an active warrant for shoplifting by the county sheriff’s department has been charged with felony retail theft for allegedly stealing $142 of groceries from Wegmans.
Latoya Jeannette Stephens, 40, of the 1500 block of East Cliveden St., was also charged by Montgomery Township Police with felony receiving stolen property and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, according to charging documents.
Stephens remains at Montgomery County jail, as of Wednesday, on a parole/probation detainer, per court records.
On Sept. 2, at 6:11 p.m., police responded to a theft in progress at the store at 804 Bethlehem Pike, according to the affidavit, and were advised that a man and a woman were arguing with loss prevention in front of the building near the pub lot.
Upon arrival, police met with loss prevention and the male in the loss prevention office at Wegmans.
Police said Stephens walked away near the Dick’s lot prior to police arrival. She was later found by an officer, police said.
Loss prevention told authorities that Stephens and the man entered the store, selected merchandise, and placed it in a shopping cart, per the complaint. The couple then proceeded to the produce section of Wegmans.
Then, police allege, Stephens left all points of sale without paying and left the store. Meanwhile, the man walked around the produce section and then left the store, police said.
The two then met up in the parking lot, where they allegedly bagged the stolen merchandise from the cart. All in all, $142.07 in groceries were taken, police said.
Stephens was taken into custody and a glass pipe was found on her during a search, police said.
Police verified Stephens had an active warrant for shoplifting from the Montgomery County Sheriff.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled before Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy on Oct. 1 at 10:45 a.m.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
