WILLMAR -- A 16-year-old Willmar girl was arraigned Monday on two felony charges of possession of shoplifting gear, plus two gross misdemeanors for theft, for allegedly stealing $567 of merchandise from local retailers.
Tania Asusena Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to the charges in Kandiyohi County District Court. She was ordered by Judge Kathryn N. Smith to have no contact with her co-defendant, commit no thefts and not to enter Cub Foods or the Kandi Mall. Her next court appearance is Aug. 6.
According to the petition, two Willmar police officers were dispatched May 14 to Cub Foods, along First Street South, on a report of juvenile shoplifters. Loss prevention officers reported that they had watched Rodriguez and a 14-year-old walk into the store with large shopping bags. They then proceeded to take clothing off racks, put it into their bags and then exited the store without paying for the $66.47 in merchandise.
The teens were apprehended by the Cub Foods loss prevention officers, who went through the bags and found items from Cub and from numerous stores in the Kandi Mall.
The teens allegedly admitted to the police officers that they had taken the items, which still had tags on them from Herberger's, J.C. Penney, Maurices and Gliks. The police officers had store personnel from the mall merchants identify items from their stores, including 13 items valued at $272 from J.C. Penney, two items valued at $39 from Gliks, six items valued at $177 from Herberger's and one item from Maurices valued at $12. Surveillance video was also used to verify the teens were in one of the stores. The video showed Rodriguez getting a bag from a customer service counter and then putting items into it. The total value of the items was $566.96.
