Girl Goes Straight from Probation Meeting to Mall, Gets Caught Stealing

It's hard to get through to some people.

A girl on probation for armed robbery met with her probation officer late Friday morning, then went right to Mayfair Mall to pick up some new clothes – with no intention of paying for them.

At 2 p.m. Friday, the 17-year-old Milwaukee girl was arrested for theft from at Mayfair Mall.

A store security officer noticed the girl carrying some clothing, and moments later saw her walking quickly toward the door. The security alarm went off, and he followed her out and stopped her.

She reached into her large purse, handed back a T-shirt and asked, “Can I go now?” Without waiting for an answer, started off toward the exit.

The store officer followed, believing she had more stolen apparel. He repeatedly told her to stop, but she kept walking, at the same time calling someone on her cell phone to pick her up at the door.

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But before she got there, she was surrounded by additional mall security officers and detained. She finally gave up four more stolen items from her purse.

She gave police a false name and only provided her real identity when told she would be fingerprint-scanned. Then she was asked for her mother’s phone number, but when a police officer called the number, he said he knew instantly he was not talking to the girl's mother.

Only when told she would not be released from custody until police contacted her mother did she give them the real number – admitting that the first number was for the same friend and accomplice she had been calling earlier.

An officer reached her mother, who told them that her daughter was already on juvenile probation for being party to the crime of armed robbery – in fact, she and her daughter had both met with the girl’s probation officer late in the morning, just a couple of hours earlier.

The girl acknowledged it – she had met up with her friend right after the probation meeting and they laid plans to go on a shoplifting spree.

She also had prior arrests for theft and obstructing, and was supposed to be living at a group home.

The girl was ordered to appear at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office and was released to the custody of the group home supervisor.