Troy Police: Mom Uses Daughter to Shoplift, Then Leaves Her Behind

TROY, MI – A mother who allegedly used her daughter to help her shoplift from the store on Coolidge refused to pick up her 11-year-old from the Troy Police Station after the girl was detained, according to a police report.

Loss prevention employees at the store reported Saturday evening that two women, a young boy and an 11-year-old girl entered the store. One of the women allegedly stole baby clothes, jewelry and women's shirts, concealing them in her purse before walking out of the store with the girl, according to a Troy Police report.

Officers stopped the pair and escorted them back into the store. Troy officers arrived and arrested the 61-year-old Detroit woman for retail fraud in the third degree; the 11-year-old girl was found to be in possession of a purse containing stolen merchandise, according to the report.

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The girl told police her mother gave her the purse and told her to walk out of the store and wait for her by the car. While the girl was being detained, the mother left the store with the young boy. When Troy officers contacted the woman on her cell phone, she denied being in the store and refused to pick up her daughter, according to the report.

At 10:30 p.m., the girl's mother called the officer and admitted she had lied about where she had been because she was scared, but she still refused to go to the police station to make a statement.

According to the report, the girl was eventually released to a family member, and Troy Police are seeking an arrest warrant for the 49-year-old Detroit woman for retail fraud, child neglect and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.