Two Women Face Felonies After Arrests in Separate Shoplifting Incidents in Paragould
PARAGOULD, Ark. — Two women were arrested in separate incidents for alleged shoplifting at Walmart in Paragould, but because of prior arrests, they now face felony charges.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on June 6, 2025, police responded to Walmart, 2802 W. Kingshighway, for the first theft report. There, they found Lacey Baker, 31, detained for allegedly being caught taking $159 worth of merchandise out of the store without paying for it. The merchandise was recovered, and Baker was placed into custody.Advertisement
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The affidavit says Baker has previous convictions for theft, which warrants a felony theft offense.
She was interviewed after being read her Miranda rights and, according to police, made incriminating statements.Advertisement
Baker faces a felony theft of property charge, a Class D felony. Her bail was set at $10,000 with an ankle monitor, no-contact orders, and a ban from all Walmart locations.
In a separate incident, police responded on June 7 to the same Walmart for a shoplifting report involving Veronica Meredith, 48. Video surveillance reportedly showed Meredith pushing a cart of unpaid merchandise out of the store. Meredith was identified and arrested.
The affidavit states Meredith has a prior conviction for theft from 2018. During a Mirandaized interview, Meredith made self-incriminating statements.
Meredith also faces a felony charge of theft of property. Her bail was also set at $10,000 with an ankle monitor, no-contact orders, and a ban from all Walmart locations.
Sebastian woman accused of leaving kids in hot car while shoplifting at Walmart
A arrest affidavit against the woman says, the Loss Prevention Associate (LPA) observed the woman walking to the self-checkout where she was seen scanning the items without the correct barcodes. The woman, identified as Katherine Gordon, then walked past all points of sale without any attempt to pay full price for the items. (IRCSO)
SEBASTIAN, Fla. (CBS12) — A woman is accused of leaving two kids in a hot car while she stole over $80 worth of groceries from a Walmart.
On Thursday, the Sebastian Police Department responded to the Walmart, located at 2001 US-1, after receiving reports of a woman who was accused of replacing the barcodes on grocery items.
An arrest affidavit against the woman says the Loss Prevention Associate (LPA) observed the woman walking to the self-checkout where she was seen scanning the items without the correct barcodes. The woman, identified as Katherine Gordon, then walked past all points of sale without any attempt to pay full price for the items.
Police say the merchandise recovered during the incident totaled $83.67.
Sebastian Police arrested Gordon outside Walmart, but she refused to speak with officers at the scene. The LPA at the scene told the investigating officer that he had mentioned children being inside of her vehicle. When officers went to her vehicle they found two children sitting inside the vehicle with the windows rolled up, allowing no airflow into the vehicle.
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In the arrest affidavit, it was noted that the weather channel said it was approximately 82 to 85 degrees outside between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
When officers opened the vehicle they felt a rush of heavy heat coming from the vehicle and heavy moisture on the interior of all the windows. Police say, the moisture on the windows is caused by no airflow and a build-up of carbon monoxide. The arrest affidavit against Gordon says the kids appeared to be sweating profusely.
The arrest report says, EMS checked the kid’s vitals and determined they were normal. When officers asked Gordon why she left the kids in the hot car she said, “she did not think it was a problem leaving the juveniles in the vehicle as long as it was not running, further adding that the juvenile’s parents do it all the time.” It’s unclear what the relationship was between Gordan and the two children.
Gordon was taken to the Indian River County Jail and booked on counts of child neglect without great bodily harm and second-degree petit theft.
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Two Arrested for Palm Coast Walmart Shoplifting
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
Chris Gollon
A couple was arrested this week after allegedly shoplifting at the Palm Coast Walmart and subsequently lying to deputies, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday. 40-year-old Daytona Beach resident Louis Watson and 52-year-old Maggie Bennett of Bunnell are suspected of wheeling a shopping cart full of merchandise out the front door.
According to the FCSO, Deputy Patrick Holtzclaw was in the Walmart store when he was told by the store’s loss prevention team about a suspected theft. The couple was said to have tried to take their shopping cart of products out the door without paying for it, and fled when they were confronted. Deputy Holtzclaw then reportedly followed the couple outside and located them in a car pulling onto Palm Coast Parkway.
Holtzclaw and other deputies questioned Watson and Bennett about the alleged shoplifting, at which point Watson was said to have repeatedly changed his story about what happened. He was not able to give a reason that he’d walk out of the store without paying, the FCSO says.
Bennett, meanwhile, was reportedly in the back seat with several bags of Walmart products but no receipts to show for them. She’s said to have given deputies a false name at first, before they were able to ascertain her identity. Both her and Watson also reportedly denied knowing one another.
Both individuals turned out to have outstanding warrants in neighboring counties. Watson was wanted for failure to pay child support in Volusia County, while Bennett was wanted for violation of probation in Putnam County. Watson was charged with shoplifting, providing a false name to law enforcement and booked on $970 bond. Bennett was also charged with shoplifting and providing a false name to law enforcement plus her prior charge, and was booked without bond.
“This couple learned [the] hard way that you can’t steal from a store in Flagler County and expect to get away with it,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “We don’t put up with that here. They also couldn’t get away with trying to lie to our deputies, who are well-trained to get to the bottom of this case.”
Woman Arrested for Shoplifting and Child Neglect at Sebastian Walmart
Katherine Leone Gordon of Barefoot Bay
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On Thursday, March 20, 2025, around 6:30 p.m., Sebastian Police Department officers were called to the Walmart at 2001 US-1 regarding a shoplifting incident.
The theft investigation quickly escalated into a case of child neglect after officers discovered two juveniles left unattended in a hot vehicle.
When officers arrived, they were led to the store loss prevention office, where a woman, later identified as Katherine Leone Gordon, 65, from Barefoot Bay, was located.
According to the police affidavit, Gordon was accused of tampering with barcodes by placing lower-priced ones over the original tags on various items, presumably to pay less at the register. She then proceeded to the self-checkout, where she scanned the falsified barcodes.
After completing her transaction, Gordon walked past all points of sale toward the grocery exit without attempting to pay full price for the merchandise, which was later valued at $83.67.
During the investigation, Gordon made offhand remarks about ice cream she had purchased melting due to the delay. She also casually mentioned to a store employee that children were waiting in her vehicle. This prompted officers to question her further.
Gordon admitted to intentionally leaving two juveniles in her red Ford truck, parked in the first handicap spot near the grocery entrance, without the engine running. She claimed she didn’t think it was hot enough outside—despite temperatures hovering between 82 and 85 degrees—to warrant leaving the air conditioning on or giving the juveniles the keys.
Additional officers were dispatched to check on the children. They found the two juveniles inside the locked vehicle—one in the back seat watching a tablet, the other in the front seat using a cell phone. The truck’s windows were rolled up, and the engine was off, leaving no airflow.
When an officer attempted to open the door and found it locked, the front-seat juvenile unlocked it at the officer’s request. As the door swung open, the officer reported feeling a “rush of heat” from inside and observed heavy condensation on the windows—a sign of poor ventilation and carbon dioxide buildup. Both children were sweating profusely and appeared frightened, asking what was happening.
The juveniles were able to contact a guardian, and EMS was called to evaluate them. After an hour in the stifling vehicle, their vitals were found to be within normal range.
Surveillance footage later revealed Gordon had parked at 5:52 p.m. and spent over an hour shopping, with officers locating the children at approximately 6:58 p.m.
When questioned, Gordon showed little concern, insisting it wasn’t a problem to leave the juveniles in the vehicle as long as it wasn’t running. She added that the children’s parents “do it all the time.”
The police explained out how risky it can be to leave a vehicle closed up in Florida’s heat, though Gordon remained dismissive. Yet, moments later, while sitting in the patrol car, she was fast to grumble about the warmth and requested the door or windows be opened.
An officer mentioned that the kids might not have had the strength to open the doors themselves due to heat-induced impairment, but Gordon insisting, “They were fine.”
Walmart surveillance footage corroborated the timeline and Gordon’s actions. It showed her entering alone, selecting drinks, food, and household items, and deliberately placing pre-cut barcodes from her purse onto various products.
Gordon was arrested and charged with two counts of child neglect and one count of second-degree petit theft. She was transported to the Indian River County Jail, where she is being held on a $3,000 bond.
