FOND DU LAC COUNTY (NBC 26) — Two women from Madison are in custody in Fond du Lac County for shoplifting-related charges.
According to the Fond du Lac Police Department, two habitual shoplifters from Madison were taken into custody, thanks to the help of a Flock Alert and a short vehicle pursuit.
Chief Aaron Goldstein said, “This incident highlights the effectiveness of technology like Flock license plate recognition systems in supporting real-time policing and inter-agency collaboration. Thanks to the alert and the coordinated efforts of our Officers and partnering agencies, we were able to safely apprehend the suspects and prevent further criminal activity in our Fond du Lac community.”
At approximately 2:35 p.m. Sunday, Fond du Lac police responded to a report of a vehicle connected to a retail theft in Winnebago County.
The vehicle had been identified by Flock license plate recognition cameras, and an alert was triggered near the intersection of W. Johnson Street and N. Pioneer Road.
Thanks to the automated license plate reader that first noticed the suspect vehicle, police were able to quickly notice the women leaving the Kohl's parking lot in Fond du Lac.
A sheriff's deputy tried stopping the vehicle as the driver got on Highway 41.
However, the driver refused to stop, prompting a short chase.
Authoriteis say the driver continued at the speed of traffic and eventually pulled over north of S. Military Road.
Both women were taken into custody.
Following the arrests, police confirmed with Kohl’s that two women had walked into the store, filled two Kohl’s-branded bags with merchandise valued at $1,725, and left without paying.
The driver, a 40-year-old woman from Madison, was arrested by FDLPD for felony retail theft.
She also faces additional charges related to the pursuit from the FDLCSO.
The passenger, a 26-year-old woman, also from Madison, was arrested for felony retail theft and is currently being held by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Probation and Parole.
At this time, no additional information is being released.
The Fond du Lac Police Department was assisted by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin State Patrol.
