By Lori Ehde
An off-duty sheriff in the right place at the right time helped foil a shoplifting spree Wednesday, Dec. 12, in Luverne.
Annette Marie Jacobson, Sioux Falls, was arrested and charged with theft this week after being caught with more than $400 worth of merchandise stolen from M-M Distributing.
According to M-M owner Merlyn Lopau, the woman was working with three other South Dakota individuals who were caught with stolen merchandise from other area businesses.
When he returned from lunch, he learned from store employees that two women attempted to return items for cash. One of the items was a $27 hammer.
When they had no receipts he suspected the items may have been stolen from the store. "I saw some people getting into a car, and then they just sat there," Lopau said.
He sent a store employee to the parking lot to record the license plate on their car.
Meanwhile, Rock County Sheriff Ron McClure entered the store on personal business. "When he left, I followed him out the door and made him aware of the situation," Lopau said.
At that point, they noticed the sheriff, Lopau said, and two got out of the car and headed toward Taco John's on foot carrying bags.
McClure reportedly caught up with them when the driver stopped in the Taco John's parking lot.
Two in the back seat were holding bags, and when McClure searched the bags, he found, among other things, a $390 camcorder wrapped in a pair of jeans.
The woman holding the bag immediately said, "That's not mine," according to the complaint filed Thursday in Rock County District Court.
She was unable to produce a receipt, and all were transported back to M-M where Lopau identified the camcorder and hammer as models sold in his store.
In addition to the stolen M-M items, Lopau said the car contained clothing and merchandise stolen from other area businesses as well.
"They'd been working pretty hard," Lopau said. "It was a shoplifting ring, I'd say."
Jacobson was arrested and transported to the Nobles County Jail. She appeared this week to face theft charges.
Lopau said he's glad to see shoplifters caught and prosecuted, because it's a crime he sees plenty of in his store.
"We find empty packages here and there once in a while and an old pair of shoes on the shelf where a new pair should be," he said.
"In a store like this with so much stuff, it's hard to catch things all the time."