A 24-year-old Cape Coral woman, Elizabeth Novac, was arrested after allegedly using a child to steal more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from a Target store.
According to the Cape Coral Police Department, the incident occurred on Friday at the Target on Pine Island Road. Loss prevention staff at the store informed officers that a woman entered the store with a child under the age of 10, filling a shopping cart with items, and then handed the cart to the child. Surveillance footage showed the child leaving the store with the cart while the woman followed a few minutes later, without attempting to pay for the items.
The stolen merchandise, valued at $1,111, included a barista machine and a vacuum cleaner. Officers later recognized Novac from a previous complaint and connected her to the theft through their investigation.
Novac has been charged with grand theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.