Thirty seven year old Jade Lopez, one of a team of 4 women who were charged with theft in a shoplifting incident, pleaded guilty to the charge when she was arraigned today in court. She was fined $1,000 by the Magistrate, who gave her until October 29th to pay.
If she does not, she will spend one year in prison. The other 3 women involved were also charged and are 31 year old Fernina Jimenez, 27 year old Maura Pott, and 42 year old Augustina Diaz.
The charges against them were dropped when Lopez took the plea.
The incident occurred around 2:30 pm on Saturday July 31st at the Ladyville Community Store.
Twenty five year old Nai Long Kuang, owner of the business establishment, reported to the police that he became suspicious when the women entered the store, so he decided to check the surveillance cameras when they left.
Kuang said that when he viewed the cameras, he saw the women taking items from the shelves. Kuang then called the police and when they arrived, they searched a Toyota pickup truck and found all the stolen items, which included 2 packs of happy cow cheese, 3 balls of Dutch cheese, and 4 packs of Dano milk.
As a result, 47 year old Israel Hernandez, the driver of the pickup truck and the only occupant, was charged with handling stolen goods. Hernandez pleaded not guilty in court and was released on a bail of 2,500 dollars. His case has been adjourned until September 23rd.
