Some shoplifting cases involve expensive electronics or designer clothing. Others involve something a little more… breakfast-themed.
According to the Roseville Police Department, officers responded to a Bel Air grocery store on June 4 after receiving a report of a theft in progress. The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Shanae Watkins, concealed six large bottles of Tito’s Vodka and at least 14 packages of Oscar Mayer thick-cut bacon inside a shoulder bag while shopping.
Police say Watkins then headed to the self-checkout and attempted to pay for a handful of unrelated items, a tactic that loss prevention teams say is sometimes used to make a shopping trip appear legitimate. The plan reportedly fell apart when her payment card was declined and store employees, who had already noticed the hidden merchandise, confronted her.
According to police, Watkins became confrontational before leaving the store with the stolen items.
The Shoulder Bag That Somehow Held a Grocery Aisle
According to Roseville police, Watkins drove to a nearby Safeway, where officers say she repeated the same pattern. This time, she left the store with six more bottles of Tito’s Vodka, five additional packages of bacon, and six reusable shopping bags without paying.
Fortunately for investigators, the Safeway employees recognized Watkins from previous incidents and contacted police while she was still inside the store. Officers who had already been investigating the Bel Air theft connected the two cases, waited for Watkins to exit the Safeway, and arrested her without further incident.
Roseville police say Watkins was arrested on two counts of Penal Code 666.1, which covers petty theft with prior qualifying theft convictions, along with one count of possession of stolen property under Penal Code 496. She was booked into the South Placer County Jail.
Commenters Couldn’t Stop Talking About the Mystery Bag
Various commenters were incredibly alarmed at the number of items that she was able to carry during single shopping trips. One of the top comments under the original Facebook report reads, “Can I know the size of the shoulder bag? I’m just truly impressed at how she carried 6 handles of Tito’s in her shoulder bag and truly thought no one could tell.😂 There’s just not a lot of thought behind some of these crimes 😅.”
Similarly, another user wrote, “Maybe she was planning on making a lot of Bloody Marys with all that bacon and Tito’s!” Personally, one of my favorite comments reads, “Can’t help but wonder where that ‘evidence’ is ending up tonight.”
While the contents of the report are undoubtedly funny, this post is both a reminder not to steal and a reminder that thefts of a significant amount can affect the outcome of your convictions.