NORTH PORT, Fla. (WFLA) — Three women and a child were arrested Sunday after North Port police said they stole hundreds of dollars’ worth of items from several stores in a shopping center.
Police were called to the Cocoplum Shopping Center around 5:30 p.m. after receiving reports of shoplifting involving four women who were driving a gray Chevrolet Malibu.
Officers said they located the suspects and found stolen merchandise from multiple stores in the shopping center, as well as from other retailers outside the area, inside their car.
North Port police said surveillance footage showed the women working together to take several hundred dollars’ worth of items.
Two of the suspects also had tools meant to bypass anti-theft devices, police said.
North Port officers said they arrested 48-year-old Tammie Denise Harrell, 52-year-old Dale Wanella Connor, 37-year-old Jessika Denise Bridges and a juvenile.
They face charges of unlawful possession of anti-shoplifting device countermeasures within a retail premise, criminal conspiracy, felony petit theft and petit theft.
“We take these types of crimes very seriously. Do not bring your organized crime to North Port,” North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said.
“Organized retail theft doesn’t just hurt stores, it impacts all of us by driving up costs and threatening the safety of our community. That’s why we will continue to take a strong stance to deter this type of crime,” the police department posted on Facebook.
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