A routine shoplifting call at the local Wal-Mart on Obed Plaza ended with a drug arrest on Thursday morning, August 20, 2026.

According to Crossville Police Department reports, Patrolman Colten Johns responded to the store at Obed Plaza around 9:24 AM after store security detained a woman for attempting to steal approximately $54.20 worth of clothing. The suspect, identified as Theresa McArthur, admitted to security and police that she had taken the items past all points of sale without paying.

While being placed into custody, McArthur voluntarily informed officers that she was carrying illegal narcotics in her purse. A search conducted with the assistance of Sergeant Jessie Henson yielded a small silver container holding a baggie of a white crystallized substance and another baggie with white residue, suspected to be methamphetamine (“ice”).

A Wal-Mart employee stated he would pursue formal shoplifting charges at the Cumberland County Justice Center. McArthur was transported to the Cumberland County Jail without incident and subsequently charged with theft of merchandise and simple possession of a Schedule II narcotic.