Three Women Arrested for Theft at Ponderay Walmart
Ponderay, Washington – Three women from Washington have been arrested after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from a local Walmart store. The incident came to light when a Walmart loss prevention employee reported a potential theft to the authorities. Acting swiftly, law enforcement officers were provided with the license plate number of the suspect’s vehicle, which was believed to still be in the parking lot.
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Upon reaching the scene, an officer spotted the vehicle and approached the three women who were loading items into it. The officer informed them that they were being detained for investigation purposes. Two of the women, identified as Brenda Symons and Tiffany Alexander, immediately began cooperating with the officers and handed over the stolen merchandise. They even went as far as separating the stolen items into different shopping carts.
However, the third woman, Elizabeth Hortman, claimed innocence and refused to admit any involvement in the theft. Suspicion arose when officers noticed numerous new Walmart items in the backseat of the vehicle near Hortman. Symons then opened the trunk, revealing even more new merchandise. The two cooperating women stated that all the items in the trunk belonged to Hortman, while the stolen items were in their respective carts.
Further investigation revealed that Hortman had an active felony warrant out of Washington. Alexander and Symons were escorted back into the store with the allegedly stolen items, while a Bonner County deputy remained outside with Hortman. The stolen items taken by Alexander were valued at around $530, while Symons’ stolen items were estimated to be worth nearly $350.
During the search of the vehicle, officers discovered a THC vaporizer pen. Subsequent searches also uncovered drug paraphernalia, including a “tooter,” burnt foil with drug residue, and a baggie with drug residue, indicating the use of illegal drugs such as heroin, fentanyl pills, and other prescription narcotics. Alexander claimed ownership of the drug items found in her purse but denied any knowledge of the other drug paraphernalia. She was arrested on charges of felony burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use.
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Hortman admitted to leaving the store without paying for any of the items she had taken. She also claimed ownership of the THC pen but denied owning a red bag that contained methamphetamine pipes. After initially denying ownership, Hortman eventually admitted to owning the bag and its contents. She was arrested on charges of fugitive of justice, possession of a controlled substance, grand theft, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use.
Another bag found in the vehicle contained four bags of methamphetamine, a scale, and unused baggies. Symons initially denied ownership of the bag but later admitted that it belonged to her. The methamphetamine found in the bag weighed approximately 2.2 ounces, enough to upgrade Symons’ charges to include trafficking. The substances inside the other bags also tested positive for cocaine.
Symons was informed of the upgraded charges while in jail. She was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use. It should be noted that the intent to charge her with petit theft for the stolen items from Walmart was also conveyed.
The preliminary hearing for all three women is scheduled for January 17..
