Covington police caught up with two women after they reportedly stole shopping carts full of groceries from Kroger and Walmart on Saturday.
Covington police responded to a call about shoplifting at the Kroger located on U.S. Highway 278 around 11 a.m. Dispatch advised police that a white Ford Excursion occupied by two females and two children had left the store with stolen items and was headed down Pace Street toward the square.
Police caught up to the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of Pennington Street and Jackson Highway. Candi Harden and Jessica Harden were placed under arrest after officers found a number of items in the vehicle that were stolen from Kroger and Walmart. A police officer returned to Kroger and spoke with an employee who said he witnessed a woman pushing a shopping cart but the items were not in any Kroger bags. The employee said he also witnessed one of the women pick up one of the cinnamon sticks outside the store and then the two women went to their vehicle and drove away. The employee and another Kroger associate got the tag number of the vehicle and watched the women drive off. Some of the items stolen from Kroger included Red Bull, Full Throttle and Monster energy drinks, shampoo and conditioners, condiments, bakery cakes and a number of other items valued at $218.61.
Police also spoke with a manager at Walmart where the women reportedly stole $333.78 worth of merchandise including six gallons of milk, packs of T-bone and rib-eye steaks, a box of beef patties, packs of chicken breasts and several other items. The manager at Walmart reviewed the video surveillance tapes which showed the women with a child enter the store with a shopping cart and Walmart shopping bags.
The women went to the grocery section and placed merchandise in the empty shopping bags they brought into the store. They then went to the health and beauty section of the store and then headed to the registers. The manager said one of the women and the child stood at the front entrance of the store and waited for the other woman who made a purchase of $6.17, but did not pay for the other concealed items in the shopping cart.
They then left the store. The manager told police that Candi Harden had previously been banned from Walmart after she was caught shoplifting at the Walmart on Salem Road. Both women were arrested and taken to the Newton County Jail and charged with shoplifting. Candi was also charged with criminal trespassing.
Apple for sale
A man who purchased a laptop from the Internet found that his new-found technology was stolen. A deputy with the Newton County Sheriff's Office spoke with a man at the sheriff's office on Saturday who said he purchased an Apple Mac Book laptop over the Internet and he wanted to make sure it was not stolen. The deputy had dispatch check the serial number on the item and the item came back as stolen out of Porterdale.
The deputy took the laptop and placed it into evidence. The man was told that a deputy would follow up with him about the incident. The estimated value of the computer was $600.
Trick or Treat
A juvenile was caught trick-or-treating early after an employee said she witnessed a girl stealing candy at Dollar General on Thursday. A deputy with the Newton County Sheriff's Officer was dispatched to the Dollar General store on Ga. Highway 81 around 7 p.m.
An employee at the store told the deputy she caught a girl stealing multiple items from the store. Some of the items stolen included two bags of Kit Kat bar, 23 Sour Power candies, a box of Lemon Heads, a box of Mike and Ike Tropical Typhoon candies, two boxes of Sour Patch Kids candies, one box of Snickers Ice Cream and a pair of Air Plus Footies socks.
The deputy estimated that the cost of items stolen was $22.57. The items were returned back to the store. The girl was released to her mother.
Shed full of tools
A man said someone stole $15, 950 worth of tools from his storage shed on Thursday.
A deputy with the Newton County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to a home on Hightower Trail in reference to a burglary. The man told the deputy that an unknown person stole his a turn lawnmower, a toolbox with tools, a Honda generator, pressure washer and several other lawn care items from his storage shed located behind his house.
The building was reportedly unlocked at the time the items were stolen. The man told the deputy that the items were stolen some time between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
