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Crime & Safety

Woman Uses Daughter to Shoplift, Police Say

Suspect and daughter allegedly try to steal $700 in merchandise from Kohl's.

 

A 33-year-old Milwaukee woman is accused of shoplifting nearly $700 in merchandise from Kohl’s while using her daughter as an accomplice.

Christina L. Rinas was charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Saturday with one count of felony retail theft. If convicted, she faces up to 1 ½ years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

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According to the criminal complaint:

On Sept. 25, a Kohl’s security officer saw Rinas and her daughter enter the store and fill up a shopping cart with merchandise. The two went to the upper level of the store and the daughter pushed the cart into a fitting room while Rinas grabbed two purses from the handbag section of the store and then went into the same fitting room stall.

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The two emerge later with merchandise missing from the cart. They went to the lower level of the store and pushed the cart out of the store before getting stopped by security.

Security found $695 in stolen merchandise with the two and Rinas had a pink accordion folder with price tags and a price tag gun, which is used to change prices on merchandise.

Rinas’ daughter told a Greendale police officer that she asked to go to another store when her mom said “take the cart and go,” with the merchandise. She said she was shocked by her mom’s actions, who then told her she didn’t have money to pay for the items.

Rinas said her daughter pushed the cart out without paying, but they didn’t go back in to pay because “it happened so fast.”

Rinas will make her initial appearance in court Nov. 13.

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