The Antelope Valley Times

Your community. Your issues. Your news.

Walmart shoplifting sting nabs 13

by •

The undercover shoplifting operation was conducted on Tuesday, July 30, at the west Lancaster Walmart at 44665 Valley Central Way. [file photo]
The undercover shoplifting operation was conducted on Tuesday, July 30, at the west Lancaster Walmart at 44665 Valley Central Way. [file photo]
LANCASTER – More than a dozen people were arrested on charges ranging from drinking in public to robbery during an anti-theft operation at a Lancaster Walmart on Tuesday (July 30).

“Operation Sticky Fingers II” was conducted by Lancaster’s TOP/CORE (Target Oriented Policing Team/ Lancaster Community Oriented Response and Enforcement Team) headed by Sergeant Marder.

Six deputies and one sergeant were involved in the operation, which took place at the Walmart on Valley Central Way. The team made 10 felony arrests, three misdemeanor arrests and recovered more than $1,000 in property, according to Sgt. Theresa Dawson of the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station.

According to Dawson, the following people were arrested:

Kelsey Nichols, 24, Male, White of Lancaster, arrested for COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

Teresa Horney, 35, Female, White of Palmdale, arrested for COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

Nyidah Parker, 29, Female, Black of Lancaster, arrested for COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

Destanie Camacho, 26, Female, Black of Lancaster, arrested for COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

Nathaniel Hayes, 23, Male, Black of Palmdale, arrested for ROBBERY

Courtney Furlong, 27, Female, White of Lancaster, arrested for COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

Michael Knapp, 26, Male, White of Lancaster, arrested for COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

Harley Lamer, 38, Male, White of Lancaster, arrested for COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

Nicole Carnes, 34, Female, Black of Lancaster, arrested for COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

Stephanie Mazzeo, 23, Female, White of Florida, arrested for DRINKING IN PUBLIC

Scott Jillson, 26, Male, White of Florida, arrested for DRINKING IN PUBLIC

Juvenile, 17, Female, White of Lancaster, arrested for PETTY THEFT

Juvenile, 15, Male, Black of Lancaster, arrested for COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

Sticky Fingers operations are part of Lancaster Sheriff Station’s ongoing efforts to reduce the number of overall crimes that occur in and around Lancaster’s large retail outlets, Dawson stated.

Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

86 comments for "Walmart shoplifting sting nabs 13"

  1. I don’t understand why ppl say just because your ghetto your a bad person no that is way untrue criminals commit crimes ghetto ppl are just ppl who carry them self and portray the self as tht way…my uncle acts ghetto when he’s drunk haha but tht doesn’t mean he is a thug he just gets tht way when he drinks in private….now to the race I just want to say its racism ever where it’s never gonna change…white folks are never going to change the way they feels dn let me say this black folks stop thinking every white person is racist becuz there not their are white ppl out there who helped fight for our rights also when trayvon Martin was killed so many ppl in m gated community felt for THT young man no matter what color they are…and Caucasian folks YU wonder black ppl bring up race so much becuz we had a nfl wide reciever white by the way say n[removed] maliciously in public and he got a few days off from work ..this is an example black ppl see this and ask do we care do we really???

  3. Wal-Mart hard up people stealing…oh gee is this new… oh now I’ve seen much more shoplifting at WalMarts…little kids stashing stuff in to their clothes, grown ups stealing meat, beer….So I have not shopped at a WalMart for a long time (more than 2 years) just because of the low-life walking about the store. Some parts of the store are abandoned looking and was getting scared of being robbed in or out of the store.
    I’m not missing any of the junk either…cheap merchandise for hard-ups.

  4. I worked at the East Palmdale store before & during its opening. Even with the one entrance/exit, checking all bags, tool boxes, etc we were constantly finding empty packaging. It started out w/empty bra & nylon packages & escalated all the way up to cameras & video recorders. The only ppl in the store were employees. They didn’t seem to care.
    I only shop at Wal-Mart now for items I know will be a good chance I need to return (As seen on TV).
    I have even gone to Wal-Mart to buy something, see if I like it then return it & buy it online.
    Can’t believe the amount of food ppl return there. Figure they are buying on EBT then trying to return for cash. It all goes back on the shelf after someone has taken it out of store then brought back.
    I have also seen items marked “Keep Frozen” displayed in refrigerated cases instead of the freezer section.

  5. Wish they would list what was taken or attempted to be taken, curious minds want to know. Last time I was at wal-mart there was a half eaten chicken carcass laying on a shelf some one did a eat n run.

  6. Funny thing, we went to that Walmart today, just one day afterwards …and there was not a single employee at either of the exits checking receipts! The one in Palmdale on 47th St has somebody at both exits that checks your receipts…

    • Thats because its more common in the walmart on 47th street then the one on 10th street, the one on 10th street is more decent than the others in the av area.

    • In that same Walmart this morning and saw one shoplifter… I told an employee working in the grocery section and he shrugged his solders. Then told a supervisor up front when I was leaving not 5 minutes later and she told me that he probably was no longer in the store but thanks for letting her know. Didn’t seem like she was gonna do much either. Just doesn’t seem fair to me to waste tax dollars on a sting operation when the store itself could care less about its shrinkage issue.

      • if walmart cared about shoplifters they would spend the extra money and have loss prevention again. you should see all the stuff they steal and bring back for a refund…5 tubes of vaginal cream that costs $15 bucks a tube, which Walmart cannot take back even if unopened due to health laws…they steal the stupidest stuff and want a shopping card or they threaten the workers..this is how low people are these days…last year that store on Valley had a loss of MILLIONS that is why the store closes at 12am now like that helps, these thugs steal at all hours of the day or night. they also need armed security for the safety of the workers who get threatened at that store!

  8. I stopped shopping at that particular WalMart and that entire shopping center a long time ago. It’s unsafe, unless you go early on a weekend morning when all the criminals are sleeping it off.

  9. There are twice as many whites as blacks on this list of shame. Oh, the irony. It’s no wonder some of you are on here attacking Walmart rather than attacking the criminals, per usual. No comments about the state of the white community, its fatherless kids, its welfare mothers, etc. Maybe because the eight criminals on this list don’t represent the entire white community? Oh what a concept! Try to remember that the next time a black criminal graces these pages, will ya? Somehow I doubt you will… sigh

    • Oh the bigots won’t remember…
      Whites were sent from the heavens above, didn’t you know? There is not much wrong doing with us whites. Were perfect memebrs of society that can’t ever be flawed or have low lives in our culture. Low lives only belong to anything but white. Wasn’t even born yet, but a lot of people seem to still have the mentality of 60s and prior.
      “All that we’re sayin’…is give peace a chance.”

    • 2012 Lancaster Demographics
      POPULATION BY RACE
      White Alone 46.1%
      African American 21.3%.
      Glad you were in such a hurry to bring up race! typical.

      • Your point being what? Are you saying that since there are about twice as many whites as blacks in Lancaster, that’s why twice as many whites were thieving from Walmart? LOL!!! You just don’t get it do you? Here is my point so there’s no misunderstanding: All 13 people on the list are WRONG!! I don’t care whether they’re black or white!! My comment was directed at all the people who get preachy whenever there is a black criminal and hold up said criminal as representative of the ENTIRE black community. Get it now?

        • It’s like a donkey in the mud. No matter how strong you pull, they’ll continue to dig in deeper.

      • I’m not sure where you retrieved your data? The “21.3% African American” figure was from 2010 estimated U.S. Census data.

        Actually, the black population in Lancaster has decreased according to State of California Dept. of Finance estimates for 2012. It is now down to 19.2%

        • http://www.aveconomy.org/index.cfm?page=Lancaster is where I grabbed my stats. It was the first place I looked. My only point is, as it usually is on this site, race is brought up in a hurry. The fact is, in this small sample pool of 13 arrested , the quantities of CRIMINALS closely follows the estimated demographics of Lancaster. Therefore all the bigots and race baiters of any ethnicity need to learn to keep there mouths shut. We all bleed red.

        • You are talking about people who actually fill out the census forms not the ones who are flooding up here. No one knows about them.

    • Don’t be so smug. More whites than blacks arrested; just an aberration. You and I both know that, per capita, more blacks commit crimes than whites…sigh.

      • Sigh… I give up! My point will not be received here. Good to know. Mr. Mister, thanks for pitching in. It was a valiant effort, but I must concede. Back to work for me.

        • Like I stated with the donkey metaphor, they won’t give up. Don’t worry, future generations will get it right at some point.

      • Seriously? Crime rate has NOTHING to do with race and much to do with one’s socio-economic status.

    • there is only ONE more white then black on that list, you can’t count the 2 white’s from Fla, they didn’t steal anything they were just drinking in public and drunk….and this is NOT about Race it is about lowlifes stealing stuff for easy money like we don’t pay them enough already thru our taxes…

  10. WAL MART SHOULD HIRE GEORGE ZIMMERMAN AS HEAD OF SECURITY!! I BET YOU HIS GUYS WOULD FOLLOW YOU TO THE END!!!! LOL!!!

  11. This Ghetto-Mart is nothing but trash. It’s hard to shop in Lancaster with all the scum here. My shopping in Santa Clarita is worth the drive.

  12. How GHETTO OR TRAILER TRASH are you that you have to steal something that is already cheap to begin with??? SMH!!!!!

  13. So, SEVEN cops and how many hours on duty to prevent $1k of a Corporation’s property from being stolen? What a damn waste of taxpayer dollars.

    • NOT REALLY!! I LOVE IT WHEN THEY DO THIS KINDS OF OPERATIONS!!! GLAD TO SEE GHETTO PEOPLE GET CAUGHT AN SENT TO JAIL!!! AS FOR WAL MART! GET YOUR OWN DANG WANA BE COPS!!

    • Exactly. Thank you Los Angeles County for once again wasting money. Lets get together and help a multi billion dollar company like Walmart save a $1000. Absolutely a waste of our law enforcement so ridiculous. Walmart needs to deal with loss prevention on there own. I mean every time I go into Walmart in the AV I see at least once person steal something. Doesn’t seem like a hard task. The sheriffs say its to reduce crime other places. How does that work? You are saying shoplifters are the people out in the world doing all the other crimes… I want to see the stats on that. Seems like County Sheriffs are in bed with Walmart. Move over Obama… Walmart for president… since they seem to run our country any ways. Screw you Walton Family just keep stealing from the American people. Trash of a company.

      • Law enforcement doesn’t and shouldn’t be limited to only those crimes that will be “profitable” for them, so quit trying to proclaim that it’s a waste of money. It’s not about $1000. It’s about catching people who commit crimes. It’s about the other crimes these F*** low lifes surely commit when they are not in Walmart.

        If you don’t think they should go after people who steal $1000, then you won’t complain when someone breaks into your house and does the same, right?

        • Interesting thought. However I don’t think you seem to understand. Sheriffs should not be involved inside a store protecting their assets. That falls to the company. If Walmart did the sting operation and then arrested the shoplifters themselves and turned them over to the authority’s that changes this subject matter. For a department to waste tax dollars on paying 8 undercover officers to walk around Walmart for 8 hours and only catch 13 people is a waste of valuable assets. I guarantee they missed the other 100 that stole from them that day. Use that same money and put a DUI checkpoint on the roads. They will catch more than 13 people doing the wrong thing and most will be bigger offenders then these low life thieves from Walmart. It wont make people think twice. The people who steal will still steal even after they are caught. Loss prevention should be dealing with there own issues. My loss prevention department has never had the sheriffs come operate a sting for us and never will. I promise I catch more then 13 a day about 20 to 25 on average and turn them over to authority’s. Most of these are people escaping out the doors with items you would never think… tvs, surround sounds, game systems, washer dryers…really! I even catch at least one employee a month. Sheriffs need to be protecting the public and let the loss prevention departments protect their own assets. Comparing petty theft or drinking in public to getting your house robbed is not the same thing. I’m not saying don’t prosecute the offenders just don’t waste valuable resource putting undercover officers in a store that already operates there own loss prevention department no need to double dip. Walmart needs to work a little harder. This has nothing to do with race they just didn’t catch the Hispanics that day. At my store I would say it is blacks, Hispanics and then whites hardly ever an Asian who steals. The blacks seem to be the most bold with it too. My store has facial recognition software and can tell us if someone has been in our store before. If they bought anything last time and we also use your cell phone mac address to follow you around our store and keep track of the times you have been in our store and for how long. Next time you come back it knows and records that information. I watch you on cameras as well as the cameras follow everyone themselves. Once they have shoplifted from us they are not allowed back in our store. We use the facial recognition software to keep track of these offenders as well. The chances of making it out with all these eyes on you is slim to none.

          • Hmmmm…Best Buy? Sears? Those seem to be the only 2 that come to mind that carry the items you mentioned. Facial recognition is awesome! As far as using the mac address on someone’s cell phone, that seems a little invasive and illegal. Maybe I’m wrong, I just didn’t know stores are cracking down like that now. But at least your employer cares enough to deploy those tactics…

        • Police can’t hold them on petty theft anyways. Just a ticket. So what good is giving them a ticket they wont pay. We already know they have no money. They show up at court say they can pay and clean up trash for a week instead and still continue to walk into stores a steal.

    • I was totally thinking the same thing! I’m sure there pay for the day was more then 1,000.. I thought walmart had there own security! Ridiculous..

  15. I personally LOATHE Walmart for a whole bunch of reasons including their China made crap, lousy produce and general policies. I do as much of my shopping as I can online (rock bottom pet food prices and the best makeup and hair care deals). I shop almost exclusively on Etsy for clothing, shoes, household items, soap, food…..you name it. That way I’m supporting the small business owner whenever I can.

    • Check the merchandise you buy from anywhere, chances are it came from China. Can’t single out Wal-Mart as the only one. As far as their customer service, that’s a whole other story.

      • True that a lot of stores carry china made goods but not in the same way as Walmart. Walmart purchases there goods directly from wholesaler cutting out the USA government. Companies like Target who also carry China made goods buy there goods from US wholesalers who have already paid the taxes to import the goods to the US. Then Target pays this wholesaler taxes on these same goods again and then finally us the consumer pays Target the taxes once again and circle has successfully completed with all of us paying our fare share. With Walmart they go directly to China themselves cutting out all the middle people and stopping all those taxes being paid to the government. Instead they are giving there money to the China communist government instead of the USA and in return they give them amazing deals. So support China shop Walmart.

        • Well that’s capitalism for you. I wasn’t speaking on the tax practice portion of Wal-Mart, simply retorting to someone’s comment that Wal-Mart carries “China made crap”. In which my response was that pretty much every store from Target to Lowe’s to Best Buy all carry Chinese made products. Until we change tax policy to promote US production, we’ll continue to have all of these Chinese products. In any case, money is still going to China from our vast importation of products from them. Whether it’s being taxed more or not, you are still supporting China by purchasing a product that was manufactured there.

        • Thank you for the tax info though, it is very informative and just another reason we need to insource. Please don’t take me as a Wal-Mart advocate. I’m just letting all the bashers know that their favorite retailer is not innocent in importing from China.

        • @Bill: Are you saying that Walmart pays NO tax to the US govt because they go directly to china, or is it that they are not paying “as much” as another retailer, who buys from some US wholesaler?

          I would find it hard to believe that no taxes are paid. Even if that was true, its not Walmart’s fault they are using a legal loophole. It’s the government’s fault for allowing that to happen.

          So support China… buy from pretty much ANY US retailer.

  16. I hate shopping at Walmart but for some reason my girl likes to shop there. I guess because it’s cheap. I feel that “cheap” is not always the best option. Customer service is practically non-existent and most, not all but most of the customers look like thugs or tweekers. I always feel like I’m walking through an episode of “America’s Most Wanted” when I’m in one. I find Target (Palmdale) to be a much better shopping experience. The merchandise, the service, and the customers (mostly) are of a higher quality. Which I very much appreciate.

  17. I agree with you 100% there’s bigger problems in Lancaster for the police department then to worrie about walmart’s wallet.

  19. I seldom go to Walmart. Never really liked the store. Their produce and meats are disgusting. I’d rather give my business to smaller stores, family owned if possible. The girls at the registers socialize too much, yak, yak, yak.

  20. Great job!! keep up the good work!
    keep catching and getting rid of all the scum and maybe, more people will shop at these stores when they don’t have to worry about having to put up with scum inside and outside these stores. just saying

    • Umm you live in the AV… your gonna have to live with trash and scum. Sounds like maybe you should live someplace else if that’s your worry. Have you ever driven on Palmdale Blvd in east Palmdale anytime in the night or am? You can watch the prostitutes and crackheads scatter like roaches. You see crackheads peaking out behind doors and dumpsters. Welcome to the AV where we live cheap so the trash can have a place to stay. Stop assisting Walmart and start busting the druggies and the people committing the real crimes. How about you Sheriffs finally do some traffic stops…. tired of the speeders and reckless drivers on the road in AV.

  21. Last time I was in Walmart on Valley Central (last week), a group teenage boys rode bikes around inside the store. As they were blocking the entrance/exit at grocery, the checker was laughing and a couple (man and woman) walked through the mess laughing and said, “what’s that old white lady think she’s gonna do about it?”

      • Guess you had to be there Rooney. One person, an older white woman was telling the boys to get their bikes outside. That was important..huh?

        • Any help is appreciated. I’m a senior, slightly disabled and these stores scare me. A friend who is a manager in a Wal-Mart told me they’ve let much of security go now and the theft is high. Wal-Mart won’t pay to keep their customers safe!

          • Why should they keep and pay for their own security when they can get us all to foot the tax bill for the Sheriffs to do it for them at no expense for them?

  22. HAHAHA THEY CAUGHT MY EX-LOSER HUSBAND AND HIS CURRENT GIRLFRIEND HARLEY LAMER AND NICOLE CARNES!!! I have been away from him for 6 years now and I THANK GOD for that!! Give them the MAX!!! He has been stealing from Wal-Mart for years!!

    • SO YOUR BASICALLY ADMITTING THAT YOUVE KNOWN YOUT EX HAS BEEN STEALING FROM WALMART FOR YEARS???? WOWWWWW!! YOUR JUST ASS GUILTY AS HIM!!!! OFFICERS!!!! ARREST HER! lmao!

      • Do you really think that they would take someone seriously at the sheriff station if they went inside just to say…”I know someone who has been shoplifting.” I have ratted people out before and they just blow you off. They only care if they catch someone themselves…and let’s get real. Since when is knowing that someone did something wrong the same as doing something wrong yourself. Spare everyone from stupid rhetoric please. ugh.

        • DANNNNGGG SO YOU JUST SAID YOU A “RAT” NOT TO MANY PEOPLE CAN ADMIT TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!! BUT AGAIN, SHE JUST ADMITED TO THE PRESS AN READERS THAT SHE KNEW HER HUSBANDS BEEN STEALING!! ONE THANG IS FOR HER TO SAY IT VERBALY BUT SHE POST IT ONLINE!!!!

          • ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^@Notagain, I’d like to know how your dumbass remarks get through when they are nothing more than rude and condescending.

          • Thank you Nancy P and Carlene! He didnt steal when he was with me Notagain! Didnt have to I guess, we worked. But since he chose the other girl his life went down hill! Last I heard about Harley, he was homeless with his girl and selling Meth! Yeah she picked a real winner! I dont have a problem saying all this online, I have nothing to hide… Just thought it was funny that his stupid ass got caught! I still think its great! GIVE THEM THE MAX!!!

  23. Have you been to west Palmdale Walmart ?? Go check out the makeup department. I hope nobody buys anything. I won’t. Pretty soon they will have everything locked up under lock and key.

    • That’s the Walmart I mostly shop at and me and GF were surprised to see how they changed the makeup area – I can only guess that makeup is very small and easy to slip into a pocket or purse so they have probably been having problems with that.

    • Yes, still don’t understand how that passes fire inspection with only one way in and out.Can you imagine being stuck in there during an earthquake or fire?Not to mention whom you might be stuck in there with.
      I no longer buy cosmetics there.Target, CVS, Walgreens are getting my bucks.

      • I noticed that and I didn’t like the feeling of being locked in there. What if you don’t want to buy anything? You have to wait in line. I also buy my cosmetics at Rite Aid or Walgreens because they have coupons. Much better buy!

        • Plus you a cannot take your shopping cart in there, gotta leave it in the hall parking lot.Have to believe sales are down there.

          • WELL I DON’T BLAME THEM!!! I WOULD DO THE SAME THING IF PEOPLE KEPT ROBBING MY STORE! BETTER YET, I WOULD HIRE GEORGE ZIMMERMAN AS HEAD OF SECURITY!! LMAO!

    • all the nail polish bottle have been opened and smeared all over the displays and the floors, I won’t buy makeup at retails any more, I use Avon products.

    • I understand being extra tight on security as far the makeup goes cause some small items can be pretty pricey, but really do they have to keep the q-tips and cotton balls and other irrevelavant and inexpensive items in there?? It’s so annoying having to go in there and being watched like a hawk watching his prey and then you gotta wait in line to pay for that one or two items right there and then they bag it and staple it…. I like to keep all my transactions in one receipt…. What’s next, we’re gonna have to start paying for our items at every section we go to?? Defeats the purpose of having everything under one roof!! No thanks… I’ve started shopping at target and I love it… It’s clean, they’re quick on the registers, there’s actually room to walk around with your cart, etc.

  26. Come on let them steal from Walmart… they steal from us. People with sticky fingers always get caught eventually. Every time I am in Walmart I see at least one person take something. Last time I counted 4 went and told manager she could care less. Why should we help them out if thats the response the public gets. Walmart loss prevention sucks so bad they need the sheriffs to come in and catch them I mean really. Our tax dollars go to helping Walmart retain there China made goods. Let them figure it out we shouldn’t help them out.