An Indiana mall has been dubbed the “crossroads” of theft when a woman convicted in Cincinnati was apprehended.
According to WXIN, Adenika Tellich was arrested in Indiana following a chaotic shoplifting incident at an outlet mall in Bartholomew County.
A shoplifting incident at a Bartholomew County outlet mall turned into a chain of events in which a store employee was struck by a suspect vehicle, a police officer was injured during a pursuit, multiple adults and juveniles were injured in two separate crashes, and authorities were unable to hold all of the alleged perpetrators accountable.
When speaking with WXIN, Police Chief Doyne Little Jr. stated, “I guess the crossroads to Indiana comes through Edinburgh for shoplifting.” Because you have I-65, you’re 80 miles or less from Louisville, you have every interstate nearby, and we’re right on an interstate, so it’s easy access for them, which they believe will help them get away.”
On Wednesday, July 15, law police in Edinburgh, Indiana responded to the Indiana Premium Outlet Mall for a report of an injured person in a parking lot.It was quickly discovered that the person struck was an employee of a store that had recently experienced a theft in which several people had shoplifted. Officer Little told WXIN that the employee went outside to try to get any identifier or license plate information, and the suspects, who were six in total, two adults and four juveniles, got into two vehicles, fled the area, and struck the employee, causing him significant injuries.
According to the complaint, both vehicles had Ohio license plates and raced east into Shelby County, Indiana. An off-duty Shelbyville police officer initiated a pursuit of the suspect vehicles, which reportedly reached speeds of up to 100 mph and attempted to flee by driving over double yellow lines.Unfortunately, one vehicle was involved in a crash just outside of Shelbyville. The second set of suspects, who struck the employee at the mall, led Shelbyville Police on a lengthy pursuit into Decatur County, when stop sticks were deployed, and all three suspects were apprehended,” Chief Little told the outlet.
According to Chief Little, adult shoplifters often use juveniles or young children as a distraction. He stated, “They will send one person in to steal an item, just to see what that reaction is going to be.
“It’s akin to putting yourself out there. Then someone else will walk in and be talking to an employee, trying to divert their attention, and then everyone else will come in. They simply grab armloads. Some of them are really bold.
“They just come in with a big trash bag and swipe entire carousels of clothing off, then walk out and dare people to stop them,” Chief Little told the site. “Generally, it’s younger folks who are out doing it, and they will use either juveniles to steal, they will use toddlers or infants and different strollers to be able to hide their product and think nobody’s ever going to stop them because of the kids.”
When speaking with the publication, Chief Little stated that it can be difficult to bring shoplifting suspects to trial in Indiana due to the following factors:
- Shoplifting is usually a nonviolent property offense
- Arrestees are from out of state
According to the report, Tellich was on probation for a previous conviction in Cincinnati.
According to WXIN, she faces the following charges:
- Robbery with serious bodily injury
A 17-year-old kid was also arrested, and those involved in the Shelbyville crash may face charges if they are released from the hospital, according to the article.
“Ohio, Louisville, and Illinois seem to hit us hard, and generally you will find most of these suspects are driving past their malls to get here because they’re already well known at their malls and they’re gonna get caught. They hope that they’re not gonna get caught and we’re not gonna get that information out to the police, and quite honestly, these people don’t care if it’s five bucks or $5,000; it’s the excitement, and they get something for nothing,” Chief Little told WXIN.
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