Ohio sheriff sends $5,000 bill to mall as reward in shoplifting case

By Joanna Putman
Police1

BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio — An Ohio sheriff is asking a mall to pay a $5,000 reward for the arrest of a shoplifting suspect after he claims security precautions were neglected and shoppers' safety was not ensured. WCPO reported.

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On August 21, two women allegedly stole $2,300 worth of clothing from Dick's Sporting Goods at the mall. One of the women was arrested on August 27, and the second suspect is still at large.

In a video posted to Facebook on August 23, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones highlighted the high number of calls his office receives from the center, saying he has received nearly 150 calls in the last two months alone, the majority of which were related to shoplifting or theft.

After Roberts' arrest, Jones released another video in which he stated, “I'm going to go ahead and pay Liberty Mall for the $5,000 reward. They should have to pay that, they don't provide proper security there, they don't care. Someone is going to die.”

Jones' office then billed the mall for the reward. In response to questions about safety and security, Alexis Bolton, Liberty Center's marketing director, emphasized the mall's commitment to safety.

“At Liberty Center, the safety of our guests, tenants and employees is very important to us. We take all safety concerns seriously and continually evaluate and improve our security measures in collaboration with local law enforcement and private security professionals.”

Liberty Center also confirmed that its security program involves private personnel and off-duty sheriff's deputies and is funded entirely by the center. The center has not yet responded to the sheriff's office regarding the payment of the $5,000 reward.

Sheriff Jones stated that they remain committed to aggressively combating shoplifting in Butler County.

“I will not tolerate this, but we will arrest you, we will find you and we will charge you with a crime.”

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