Third suspect in NJ shoplifting shooting captured and arrested
Officials have captured the third suspect in a shoplifting incident that led to a deadly police-involved shooting in the parking lot of a Deptford, New Jersey Marshalls over the weekend. Raoul Gadson, 43, of Philadelphia, was charged with robbery and assault after he was taken into custody in Philadelphia on Thursday. Gadson will be detained in Philadelphia until extradition proceedings are completed. Once he is returned to New Jersey, he will be scheduled for a first appearance in Superior Court, Woodbury on the second-degree assault and robbery charges. Deptford Township police officers were dispatched to the Marshalls store in the Deptford Crossing Shopping Center for a report of a shoplifting on Sunday.
When officers arrived, they encountered three suspects, who they say had fled the store with a substantial amount of unpaid merchandise. One of the subjects, identified as Gadson, was allegedly fighting with loss prevention agents from the store. As Deptford officers approached, Gadson ran while the other two suspects, both females, entered a rented Nissan Armada. Officers, who were outside their vehicles, commanded the driver to stop; however, they say that instead the Armada driver accelerated towards them. One officer, a patrol captain and 27-year veteran, was struck by the open driver-side door as the driver allegedly raced from the scene and toward the other officer. The driver, later identified as LaShanda Anderson, age 36, of Philadelphia, reportedly attempted to deliberately run over the second officer in an apparent assault by auto.
Eyewitness statements provided during the investigation confirmed that Anderson accelerated straight at the officer who reportedly acted in self-defense. Investigators said the second officer, a sergeant and 17-year veteran, fired three shots at the driver in the oncoming vehicle, striking her twice. The speeding vehicle veered, narrowly missing the officer, continued across the parking lot, and onto the access road exiting the parking lot where it subsequently came to rest. Anderson was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy conducted on June 10, by the Gloucester County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as “multiple gunshot wounds.” Officers took the passenger of the Armada, Chanel Barnes, 27, of Philadelphia, into custody and charged her with shoplifting. Barnes is being held in the Salem County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing before Superior Court Judge Robert P. Becker. The shooting is under investigation by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. [Source: ABC6 Action News]
Employee convicted of stealing nearly $40,000
A Throckmorton County bank employee is heading to federal prison after being convicted of stealing nearly $40,000 dollars. Edalia Oliver pleaded guilty to one count of bank theft after stealing from the First State Bank Graham in Woodson Texas. According to documents, Oliver told FSB management that money would be missing when they conducted a surprise teller and vault cash audit. FSB learned that $38,592 dollars and 20 cents were missing. Oliver will now serve 12 months in federal prison and be ordered to pay restitution of over $41,000 dollars. [Source: Texomas Homepage]
Woman stole $2,000 worth of items
A Hackettstown, New Jersey, woman is lodged in the Morris County Jail after police say she stole nearly $2,000 worth of merchandise from Walmart and tried to return some of it. Kathleen D. Kanane, 38, was charged with shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia. A Mount Olive officer responded to Walmart in Flanders to speak to loss prevention regarding a shopper who was in their custody, and during the course of the investigation, it was determined that the suspect, identified as Kanane, entered Walmart, retrieved several items throughout the store and then tried to return them for store credit, according to police. When the store would not allow her to return the items, she took them out to her vehicle.
Police said Kanane then re-entered the store and collected an additional $1,500 worth of merchandise and tried to exit the store without paying when Walmart loss prevention detained her for police. After escorting Kanane out of the store, an LP associate searched her vehicle and found drug paraphernalia and an additional $300 worth of Walmart merchandise, which police said were the stolen items taken that she tried to return. Those items were returned to Walmart. Kanane was placed under arrest, processed at headquarters and lodged in the Morris County Jail pending a court appearance. [Source: New Jersey Herald]
Shoplifting prompts law change
An increase in shoplifting crimes in Peachtree City, Georgia, has prompted the City Council to amend the ordinance related to disorderly conduct. The council voted 5-0 on June 7 to add language stating that it is unlawful “[t]o be in or about any place, alone or with another or others, with the purpose of or intent to engage in any fraudulent scheme, trick or device to obtain any money or valuable thing; or to aid or abet any person or persons in doing so.”
In the memo preceding the vote, City Manager Jon Rorie said prosecuting shoplifters, who “often travel great distances to target merchants in this area,” can be hampered by challenges with the state shoplifting statute and the availability of witnesses. Amending the disorderly conduct ordinance to include activities related to shoplifting will “help criminally prosecute these subjects [and] enhance law enforcement’ s ability to deter such crime in Peachtree City,” he said. [Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution]
Fast food employee charged with embezzling
David Allen McQueen has been charged with one felony count of theft after allegedly embezzling from Burger King in Great Falls, Montana. According to court documents, Great Falls Police officers were called to the restaurant for a report of employee theft by embezzlement. The general manager told officers she had noticed an increase in deleted orders over the past few weeks. She explained that each manager on shift has a card that allows them to delete orders. An order is supposed to be deleted right away and the manager is expected to write an explanation. The normal amount of deleted orders per shift is around $20, according to the documents.
The general manager said she noticed that on McQueen’s shifts, the amounts deleted were more than $100. She told officers she observed McQueen on camera deleting several orders consecutively, which isn’t proper procedure, and giving food to customers on orders he deleted. The court documents state that he would pocket the money he deleted. On six of McQueen’s recent shifts, he deleted a total of $1,964. When officers contacted McQueen, he stated he never stole from Burger King and did not use his delete card improperly. He also stated he is the only person who uses his card. McQueen is a registered sex offender and has a federal conviction for possession of obscene material. The State has requested bond be set at $7,500. [Source: KRTV3 News]
Microsoft takes on Amazon’s checkout-free retail technology
Microsoft wants to take on Amazon at the checkout line. The tech giant may soon team up with brick-and-mortar stores on technology that would eliminate cashiers and checkout lines from stores, according to Reuters. Microsoft has shown the tech to retailers around the world, and is in talks with Walmart on a potential collaboration, the report says.
The technology is designed to help retailers keep up with Amazon Go, the e-commerce juggernaut’s automated store, which opened in Seattle in January. Amazon Go customers scan their phones when they enter the store, and can take whatever they need off the shelves and walk out with it. Cameras and sensors around the store identify what they removed, and they are billed on the credit card they have on file. Amazon, which will soon open automated stores in Chicago and San Francisco, has sent rivals scrambling to prepare for yet another disruption by the world’s biggest online retailer. Some have tested programs where customers scan and bag each item as they shop, with mixed results. It is not clear how soon Microsoft would bring an automated checkout service to market or whether its product would satisfy retailers. [Source: New York Post]