Charges filed against alleged Kmart shoplifter

Charges were filed last week against a Cape Gir­ardeau woman who was allegedly caught shoplifting more than $700 worth of beauty items from Kmart.

Angela D. Richards, 22, of 1413 William St., was charged Thursday with third-degree assault and theft.

On Jan. 22, Cape Girar­deau officer Joseph Hann responded to Kmart, 11 S. Kingshighway, to a report of a shoplifter causing problems, according to a probable-cause statement.

Richards had been detained by two loss-prevention employees who work for the store, and was laying on the floor of the lobby kicking her feet and screaming obscenities at the employees when police arrived, the statement said.

When Richards was placed in the back of a patrol vehicle, she began kicking the rear window of the car and screaming at the store employees, "I'll remember your faces," and threatening them, according to the sworn statement.

The two loss-prevention employees allegedly observed Richards with her daughter in the shopping cart in the health and beauty section of the store. They saw her place numerous cosmetics items in the cart, then take the cart to the baby section of the store, where she allegedly began removing price tags from merchandise and stuffing them into her diaper bag.

She then took a baby blanket from a shelf and placed it over the bag, the statement said.

Richards allegedly went to the checkout of the store and made a small purchase, not attempting to pay for the items hidden by the blanket, the statement said.

When the loss-prevention employees confronted her, she threw a closed fist at one of them, the statement said.

The merchandise, all cosmetic items, was recovered. The items totaled $716.03.