Large Loot Haul Attracts Clerks’ Scrutiny
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
WATER VALLEY – A shoplifter was arrested and a warrant issued for another after hundreds of dollars of candy bars and beef jerky were stolen from the Flash Market on Frostland Drive last week.
Water Valley Police Chief reported there were two shoplifting occurrences at the business, and merchandise valued at an estimated $105 was stolen the first time and an estimated $350 during the second incident. Bernard White, age 50, was arrested on Feb. 23 and charged with shoplifting. He entered a guilty plea in municipal court later that day and was fined.
Mangrum said a warrant is issued for the second suspect, Eugene Gwin, Jr., 53, also of Water Valley.
“We haven’t been able to track him down yet,” Mangrum added.
Officers responded to the store after store workers reported suspicious behavior by the two men. The store’s surveillance camera footage was reviewed and officers were able to identify the suspects.
“Three hundred dollars worth of Snickers bars is a lot of candy bars,” Mangrum said. “They were stealing entire boxes of candy bars, but they didn’t do a very good job of concealing their activity from the clerks.”
Other activity reported by the chief includes:
• Lavontae Pettis, 23 of Abbeville was arrested for possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle, no driver’s license and speeding on Feb. 28. The arrest was made during a traffic stop on Hwy 7 just after 4 a.m. Mangrum reported the officer detected the odor of marijuana and observed marijuana in the console. Pettis was booked and bonded out.
• Carl Pritchard, 42, of Iowa and Mississippi was arrested for trespassing on Feb. 27 after he was repeatedly asked to leave a family member’s residence in the city. An officer responded to multiple complaints about Pritchard at the residence, and transported him to the police department for someone to pick him up. Mangrum said Pritchard was charged after he left the police department and returned to the residence around 8:40 p.m.
“We worked for several hours to try to resolve this situation before charging him with trespassing,” the chief added.
• Mosleh Aidah, 73, of Lafayette County was arrested on Feb. 24 for disorderly conduct and again on Feb. 26 for trespassing at a business. Mangrum reported the arrests followed numerous complaints about Aidah for harassment and panhandling at multiple businesses in the city. The chief reported it appears Aidah does not have anywhere to go, and may have been forced to leave his last residence in Lafayette County.
“We have worked since Friday to try and find another solution to try and break this jail cycle,” Mangrum told the Herald. “Sadly there are not many options. We don’t have a homeless shelter in the vicinity, I have placed a call to Adult Protective Services for assistance. The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department is also assisting, but are just all coming up short.”
• Elaina Rone, 22, of Water Valley was charged with Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance following a traffic stop on Feb. 24 on Hwy. 7. Mangrum reported the officer stopped Rone for going 88 MPH in a 55 zone around 2 a.m. During the stop, the officer observed narcotics paraphernalia in the vehicle and started an investigation. Alleged methamphetamine and marijuana was found inside the vehicle. Rone was booked at the Water Valley Police Department and posted bond.
• Bernadette Riddell, 48, of the Boat Landing Community was arrested and charged with uttering forgery after allegedly cashing fake payroll checks. Mangrum said checks were poor quality.
“They had a True Value logo on them, but were created to look like they were a payroll check from a local restaurant,” the chief explained.
Two of the checks totaling close to $1,000 were cashed at a business in Water Valley.
“We extend thanks to the Bruce Police Department for assistance in this investigation. They were working a similar case on Riddell and were able to share information to help with this investigation,” Mangrum said.
• Velvet Carr, 53, of Water Valley was arrested for DUI on Feb. 20. Carr was stopped on Main Street for careless driving. Mangrum reported the DUI investigation determined her blood-alcohol-content was allegedly twice the legal limit.
• Justin Poynor, 25, and Tysheyia Williams, both of Water Valley were arrested for domestic violence on Feb. 17 after officers responded to a disturbance on Simmons Street. Mangrum said officers observed marks consistent with a physical altercation and charged both parties
