Deputies with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office made an arrest this week in a shoplifting incident at Liberty Center. Now, Sheriff Richard Jones is calling for the mall to fork over the $5,000 reward.
The sheriff’s office offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest after two women were accused of stealing over $2,000 worth of clothes from Dick’s Sporting Goods at Liberty Center on Aug. 21. Deputies arrested Tiara Roberts, a 35-year-old woman from Dayton, on Tuesday and charged her with a fifth-degree felony for theft. Deputies are still pursuing the other suspect.
“This is an ongoing problem at Liberty Center and we will continue prosecuting every shoplifter we can,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
In a press conference Tuesday, Jones blamed the Liberty Township shopping center for inadequate security.
“From this day, I’m gonna go ahead and charge the Liberty mall for the $5,000 reward. They should have to pay this,” Jones said. “They don’t do the proper security out there. They don’t take care of it.”
“Somebody’s gonna die,” he continued. “Somebody’s gonna bump into them when they’re stealing out there and I’m not gonna put up with it.”
The sheriff’s office has received 150 calls for service to the mall in the past two months, including several thefts, public information office Janee Lambert wrote in an email to The Enquirer.
Lambert confirmed to The Enquirer that Jones plans to send an invoice for $5,000 to Liberty Center on Wednesday.
Alexis Bolton, the mall’s marketing manager, said Liberty Center employs both private security personnel and off-duty sheriff’s deputies to provide security for the mall.
“At Liberty Center, the safety and security of our patrons, tenants, and employees is very important to us,” Bolton wrote in an emailed statement to The Enquirer. “We take any concerns regarding safety seriously and continuously evaluate and enhance our security measures in collaboration with local law enforcement and private security experts.”
“We welcome further discussions with Sheriff Jones, the Township and other local authorities to collaboratively develop solutions that benefit the entire community going forward,” she added.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio sheriff asks mall for $5K reward after shoplifting arrest
