Yesterday, Officer Amy Sherill was dispatched to Kroger about a shoplifting female. Upon arriving on the scene, Officer Sherill spoke with the store manager who told the Officer that a female had taken a shopping cart of items into the restrooms.

Employees from the pharmacy saw her go into the bathroom, went in to see what she was doing, and saw her placing store items into shopping bags, trash bags, and clear plastic tote bags.

When Officer Sherill made contact with the woman, identified as Betty Janow, she was still in the makeup section and was observed attempting to open a container of makeup and holding a second container she had already opened and used.

The woman consented to a search, where the officer located black Skullcandy earbuds in her pocket that she said came from Walmart. Janow was advised of her Miranda Rights, however, she stated that she had receipts for all the items she’d concealed. She said she had intended to pay for the makeup but that she wanted to open and use it to make sure it was the correct color even though the color was clearly visible on the packaging.

Janow was placed into custody and Sergeant Karlsven transported her to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office while Officer Sherill continued her investigation. The concealed items,  including the Skullcandy earbuds, were located in the bathroom trash can along with several hair bows and parts from Wahl clippers in the store where employees had seen her concealing items. The store manager and employees conducted an audit of the concealed items in the cart and found that, of the concealed items, 116 of them had not been purchased. A total value of $1,171.94.

Janow was charged with theft of property involving merchandise.