Sedona AZ (October 28, 2016) – On October 24, 2016, just before 3 PM, deputies arrived at a golf pro shop business on Ridge Trail Drive in the Village of Oak Creek regarding a shoplifting report. The store manager told deputies they caught 70-year-old Carolyn Harville, of Prescott, shoplifting a $100 vest. The manager noted Harville has been suspected of shoplifting thefts from the store in recent years, but employees were never able to prove a theft until today.
In the current incident, the manager saw Harville leaving the store holding a red purse with a vest style garment they sold in the store protruding from the purse. When Harville was asked if she needed assistance, she replied no. Harville then went to a restroom and when she returned to the store, the manager confronted her about the vest seen in her purse. Harville denied having a vest and declined the manager’s request to check her purse. Harville eventually removed the stolen vest from her purse and refused to purchase the item when offered. The manager advised Harville that law enforcement had been called and asked her to remain on the premises. Harville left anyway. Employees obtained her license plate number as she drove away.
Based on a review of surveillance video and circumstances shared by the manager, it was established Harville entered the store with the intent to shoplift property by use of a container, her purse, to conceal the theft. As a result, her actions resulted in a felony shoplift charge.
Around 4 PM, a deputy working the Prescott area was directed to the 11000 block of Wild Bunch Way, Prescott, and asked to locate Harville regarding a felony shoplift complaint. Harville was just arriving home, contacted and arrested. She denied shoplifting the vest claiming her actions were absent minded, not criminal, and that the store manager had refused to let her purchase the item.
She was booked at the Camp Verde Detention Center for one count of felony Shoplifting and later released pending court action.
Citizens can contact the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office with information or questions at 928-771-3260 or the YCSO website: www.ycsoaz.gov