3 Pre-Teens Taken In for Macy's Shoplifting Spree

It takes something to stand out from the parade of retail theft reports that marches through the weekly police blotter.

In this case, tender age.

At 4 p.m. Friday, three Milwaukee girls, two of them 12 years old and the third just 11, were arrested for theft from Macy’s at Mayfair Mall after they drew suspicion for randomly selecting clothing without checking prices or sizes.

They headed toward the fitting rooms, so a female loss prevention officer was sent to quickly check that the rooms were empty of merchandise.

All three girls crowded into the same fitting room. The security agent could see beneath the divider that they were pulling off their pants, pulling on unpaid-for pants, then putting their own back on.

They were stopped as they tried to leave the store, and between what each was wearing – shirts as well as pants – and more items stuffed in purses and bags, they were found with a total of $256 worth of merchandise.

All three were given municipal citations for retail theft, and their parents were called. In each case, the parents declined to pick up their children and instead told police they could ride home on the bus.

Officers escorted them to the bus stop.