Woman Charged With Stealing Landscape Materials From Businesses

A Bishop woman has been charged with theft after allegedly stealing landscaping supplies from local businesses.

Just before 1 p.m. on March 11, a manager of on Experiment Station Road reported seeing a woman in her mid to late 40s, tall with a medium build and brown hair, load several pavers into a tan Ford F-150 truck and drive away, according to an incident report on file at the _.  Minutes later, an employee of called to report a suspect with a similar description had left the store without paying for 12 bags of mulch. The store was able to provide a license plate number and deputies went to a home on Price Mill Road where the truck was registered.

When deputies arrived, they say they saw the woman unloading the stolen items.  In the bed of the truck, deputies found eight brink landscape pavers, 12 bags of mulch, eight 4X4 pieces of wood and a small tree.  The woman said she found the wood in what she thought was a pile of trash outside of . According to the report, she told them she knew she shouldn't have taken the pavers but insisted she had paid for the bags of mulch.  However, the Publix employee who helped the woman load the bags into the truck told deputies she agreed to pay for them, walked toward the store entrance but turned around, climbed into the truck and left.

The woman's boyfriend, who owned the truck, said he was unaware his girlfriend was using his vehicle to steal and he agreed to help return the items to the stores.

The 53-year-old Bishop woman was arrested and charged with two counts of misdemeanor theft by taking.  She was released the following day on a $1,000 bond.

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