Police say they will present their case to the grand jury Wednesday after they caught two people red-handed trying to steal thousands of dollars in merchandise from Kohl’s.
New Philadelphia Police Officer Kurt Olson says the attempted theft took place on Sunday, July 14, at about 11:30 a.m.
He says a male and a female from Stark County first grabbed three suitcases then stuffed them with about $5,000 in merchandise and tried to leave.
“I guess these are two individuals that Kohl’s has been watching for some time,” he said. “They had not only previously stolen from our store but several other of their locations.”
Olson says he arrived just in time. “Right as I was pulling up, they started running out the front door. They saw me. They were dragging out suitcases full of merchandise, saw me, ran back into the store.”
He said the pair split up and went into the mall. “I caught one going down a service hallway and was able to apprehend him. Our other officer, Officer DeMattio, got the female half that was trying to exit another set of doors.”
Olson says the pair – a 36-year-old male and a 22-year-old female – will face charges of felony theft and obstruction.
He says they were not jailed on those charges because they are non-violent offenses. Olson says the man had just been released from jail in Stark County and is on adult parole and probation.
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