Stage employees in Sallisaw, OK face embezzlement charges for $44,000 of merchandise  Embezzlement charges were filed against two Stage Department Store employees on Dec. 16 after a Loss Prevention officer discovered video surveillance of Jessica Smith and Kathryn Carter walking out of the store with unpaid for merchandise. According to the probable cause affidavit, the loss prevention officer had reviewed about 10 months of videos that showed Smith, 23, and Carter, 25, would leave the store several times a month with merchandise in store bags. By their own accounts, Smith estimates she has taken in excess of $16,200 worth of merchandise while Carter believes she has taken more than $28,400 in merchandise. Sallisaw officers interviewed both women who admitted in writing to taking the merchandise. sequoyahcountytimes.com

Seminole Co, FL Deputies arrest 4 during Bike Patrols
Deputies assigned to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Policing Unit conducted a bike patrol at the new Seminole Walmart, Friday, Dec. 19. The patrols are part of an effort by the sheriff's office to ensure the safety of shoppers and their merchandise during the holiday season. Three were arrested and a fourth was issued a notice to appear in connection with the theft of merchandise including a 39-inch television. tbnweekly.com

Target cashier arrested in $3,830 void scheme in Riverdale, NJ
Target cashier allegedly canceled out thousands of dollars worth of transactions and let shoppers leave the store without paying for items, police said. Authorities did not say whether Zariah Lozada was granting the deep discounts to people she knew or if she was doing as a nice gesture for strangers doing their holiday shopping at the Target in Riverdale, but police said the 18-year-old is now facing charges for reportedly voiding out $3,830.96 worth of transactions over the past week. nj.com


Baton Rouge woman wanted in TJ Maxx handbag thefts
The Hammond PD is looking for a woman wanted for stealing $2,100 worth of purses. Gaberel Smith, 25, is wanted for felony theft for stealing the purses from TJ Maxx in Hammond. She has been arrested on multiple other occasions for shoplifting by the Ascension Parish S.O, Gonzales PD, Lafayette S.O, BRPD, and EBRSO. She is a convicted felon for theft charges, but has been off probation since 2009. nbc12.com


Two Shoplifters Arrested At Bedford, MA TJ Maxx; $1,000 in merchandise recovered  Two Lynn women were arrested Saturday for allegedly shoplifting $1000 worth of merchandise, including designer handbags, from TJ Maxx in Bedford. Police parked outside Great Road Shopping Center were alerted by an employee that two women were circling the inside perimeter of TJ Maxx and placing random items in their cart. They allegedly also placed large sweaters on top of the cart to hide the items. When the women - identified by Bedford Police as Alexandra Nathaly Munoz-Santo, 23, and Selena Teresa Santana-Diaz, 18, both of Lynn - noticed they were being watched, they left the cart at the door and exited the store. cbslocal.com


Univ. of Alabama merchandise a hot item for a pair of shoplifters  It happened Thursday at Big Al's Merchandise in Florence. Store owners provided police with surveillance footage showing a man in a wheelchair and a female companion walking through a section of University of Alabama apparel. The footage includes several incidents in which clothing is apparently taken from the racks and placed in bags or underneath the man's wheelchair seat. waff.com


Indiana Walmart thief flees with $3,500 of disposable razors
State Police report a shopper at Walmart loaded a cart with $3,500 worth of disposable razors Sunday evening, pushed it through a fire exit door and fled in a car. Troopers at Indiana released a still image taken from the security video system at the store in SouthTowne Plaza. Store security workers discovered the robber about 6:22 p.m. and blocked the main doors, but the suspect used a fire exit and set off an alarm system "causing brief panic by employees and customers," according to a report. indianagazette.com

Athens-Clarke, GA Police say Organized shoplifting is a problem during holidays