On Wednesday, Jan. 26, at 6:59 p.m. officers of the Santa Monica Police Department went to Charlotte Russe (a store that specializes in the sale of garments that are primarily suitable for the adornment of females), located at 395 Santa Monica Place, in order to investigate a theft suspect who was being detained at the store.
When they arrived at Charlotte Russe, the officers spoke with the Loss Prevention Manager for the store who told them that on Jan. 23 his computer analyst had informed him that one of the employees had just rung up several items of clothing and had then immediately processed a credit return.
The Loss Prevention Manager then investigated further and discovered the employee’s family members were in on the scam and had been receiving items from the store stock.
On Jan. 26, the Loss Prevention Manager confronted the employee in question and this 20-year-old Los Angeles resident confessed to the crime, telling the manager she had been stealing clothing and jewelry for her friends and family.
She said that she had taken about $1,500 worth of stuff over several days. The officers arrested the woman and she was charged with embezzlement and grand theft. Her bail was set at $20,000.
Editor’s Note: These reports are part of a regular police coverage series entitled “Alert Police Blotter” (APB), which injects some minor editorial into certain police activities in Santa Monica. Not all of the Mirror’s coverage of incidents involving police are portrayed in this manner. More serious crimes and police-related activities are regularly reported without editorial in the pages of the Santa Monica Mirror and its website, smmirror.com.
