BEDFORD – A Bloomington woman was arrested on Saturday, March 4 after police received a report of a theft at Walmart.
When police arrived at 12:20 p.m. they found the accused female 54-year-old Tabatha Smith being detained by a Walmart’s asset protection officer.
While waiting for a final count on the stolen merchandise, the officer spoke with Walmart employees who advised that Smith attempted to leave the store with a large cart of bagged merchandise she had not paid for.
Smith began arguing with the employees and stated that she was only trying to find her vehicle. Smith told police that she was a diabetic. She said she had been shopping and realized that she had left her insulin in her vehicle, but that she could not remember where she had parked.
Smith claimed that her blood sugar had been dropping and that she needed to retrieve her medication immediately. She started to walk out the West doors of the store to locate her vehicle when she was stopped by Walmart Asset Protection. Smith said that she had checked both doors of the store, stopping to sit down at Subway and at the bench by the restrooms and that she did not understand why she could not leave the store with her cart as she was not finished shopping.
Smith was asked if she needed medical attention regarding her diabetes concerns and she declined.
Police reviewed security footage and saw Smith, with a cart full of reusable shopping bags, in the area of the Subway at the store. She then walked through the front of the store, passing all registers on both ends, without stopping, and exits the West doors.
Smith continued to maintain her innocence throughout the conversation with employees but admitted that she could see why they would think she was committing theft.
A Walmart asset protection employee reported Smith had stolen $1,200 in merchandise.
Smith became argumentative when she was confronted with the total amount of her theft as well as the stolen bags, calling the employee a liar and demanding that she recant her statements.
Smith was placed under arrest and escorted to a patrol vehicle. The officer then asked if she needed the officer to retrieve any of the medication from her vehicle and she advised that she did. She described her vehicle as well as where the officer could locate it. She said her medication was in a black zippered pouch and gave the officer consent to retrieve the medication. The officer located the zippered pouch and gave the officer consent to open it.
Smith was transported to the Bedford Police Department where she was examined by IU Health Lifeline personnel. Once she was medically cleared she was transported to jail on a charge of theft over $750.
While being booked into the jail Smith admitted that she had taken a marijuana gummy around 9 a.m. and then driven to Walmart. As her property was inventoried it was discovered that she had a large amount of prescription medication in addition to the over-the-counter medication in the black pouch, some of which she stated was not hers.
She specifically pointed out a plastic bag containing pink round pills, stating that she believed these to be Hydrocodone and that they belonged to her husband. She identified other over-the-counter medications and named some of her prescriptions but was unclear on if she had prescriptions for everything.
Police confiscated:
– One plastic bag of 39 pink round pills identified as Oxycodone, a Schedule II substance.
– One plastic bag of six white oval pills identified as Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim, a legend drug
– One metal case of eight white oblong capsules identified as Lyrica, a legend drug
– One plastic bag of 63 yellow round pills identified as Ropinirole, a legend drug
– Two plastic bags containing a mixture of Lyrica, two kinds of Bupropion Hydrochloride, Amlodipine, Duloxetine Hydrochloride, Metformin Hydrochloride, Carbidopa/levodopa, Ampyra, Atorvastatin Calcium, and Estradiol all legend drugs
The remaining pills that were identified as over-the-counter medications were returned to Smith. The pills that could not be identified were packaged to be destroyed.
She was also issued a no-trespass order preventing her from shopping at Walmart.
She is also facing charges of possession of a controlled substance, and 12 counts of possession of a legend drug.
