Broken Arrow police say shoplifter abandoned child
BY AMANDA BLAND World Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
1/15/13 at 7:42 AM
BROKEN ARROW - Police say a shoplifter left a sleeping child in a shopping basket when she fled from store security officers.
Jacqueline Marie Washington, 51, of Tulsa was arrested on complaints of caretaker neglect and petty larceny after a former felony conviction.
A loss prevention employee at Walmart, 2301 W. Kenosha St., called police about 6:30 p.m. Friday to report that he had seen a woman conceal socks and other items under a black coat in a shopping basket that also contained a sleeping child, according to Washington's arrest report.
The shopper then reportedly left the store before she was stopped by the employee.
The employee told police the woman grabbed her purse and continued walking across the parking lot while leaving the sleeping child in the cart near the store's exit, the arresting officer wrote.
Officers found Washington, who matched the description of the shoplifter, standing on a nearby street corner and asked to search her purse and coat, where they reportedly found several packages of socks, the report states.
Washington was booked into the Tulsa Jail on Sunday. Her bail is set at $27,500.
Police contacted the child's mother, who said Washington - her aunt - was watching the child while she was at work.
The child was released to another family member.
Washington pleaded guilty in 2003 to a reduced charge of obtaining merchandise by false pretense after she was charged with knowingly concealing stolen property.
She received a one-year jail sentence, which was suspended, and was ordered to complete 120 hours of community service.
Original Print Headline: Police: Shoplifter abandoned child
Amanda Bland 918-581-8413
amanda.bland@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Jacqueline Marie Washington: The Tulsa woman was arrested outside a Broken Arrow Walmart on complaints of caretaker neglect and petty larceny after a former felony conviction. Authorities say she abandoned a shopping cart containing a sleeping child to flee from store loss prevention officers. She later was found with stolen items, they said.
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