Three generations of relatives came together to steal hundreds of dollars worth of products from a Florida Target on Black Friday, police said.
A 76-year-old grandmother and her 54-year-old daughter were charged with shoplifting, petit theft and contributing to the delinquency of a child, who Flagler County Sheriff’s Office officials also identified as a suspect in the robbery. The trio stole $400 worth of cosmetics and booze from a Target in Palm Coast, officials alleged.
The adult women reportedly put multiple bottles of champagne and wine into the child’s backpack. The child then bypassed the cashier’s section and tried to exit the store. As she walked toward the exit, an employee approached her and took her to the loss prevention office.
There, an employee took the child into custody. A staff member had also seen the child place cosmetic products into her backpack.
As the youngster sat in the office, her mother and grandmother left the store with stolen alcohol bottles they’d shoved into bags, cops said. The 54-year-old woman allegedly “walked to her vehicle in the parking lot” with the bottles as her mother went to the restroom, officials said.
Deputies later found the woman outside the store and told them the child had been caught.
“Once all three subjects were in custody, it was determined that they had attempted to steal $379 worth of cosmetics and alcoholic beverages,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release, according to the Miami Herald.
“This mother and grandmother certainly won’t win mother and grandmother of the year,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said.
“We told our community that we would have an increased presence protecting our businesses and shoppers on Black Friday, but unfortunately, this family didn’t listen. ...They involved a child in their criminal acts, which is a shameful thing.”
The mother and grandmother are being held on $650 bond while the child was turned over to her father, the office said. Officials did not release their identities.
