(Gray News) – A Florida woman is accused of using a child to help her shoplift at a Target last weekend.
Cape Coral police said they responded to Target for reports of a theft that occurred a day prior, according to a press release.
Target’s loss prevention staff told police that a woman, later identified as 23-year-old Elizabeth Novac, came into the store with a child under the age of 10.
Loss prevention provided a video that captured Novac loading up a cart with items before giving it to the child to walk out of the store, police said.
The value of the stolen items was estimated at $1,111, including a barista machine and a vacuum cleaner.
Detectives began investigating and sent Novac’s picture to other officers and detectives.
On Thursday, officers responded to complaints of a woman panhandling.
Officers said they recognized the woman as Novac.
The investigation revealed that Novac loaded the cart with merchandise before separating from the child and pointing at the exit doors to intentionally send the child out of the store with the stolen goods.
Novac followed the child shortly after.
Novac was arrested and is facing one count of grand theft and one count of contributing to delinquency of a minor.
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