Thousands of Dollars Worth of Merchandise Stolen From Santa Barbara Business

Santa Barbara Police are looking for a woman who stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from a Downtown business.

Plum Goods Store and Italian Pottery Outlet have surveillance footage of a woman entering the stores with an unknown man and two dogs.

“Her husband was the lookout at first. The dogs were a distraction. The way she interacted with us was a distraction. She was quite clever to make sure that we weren’t looking when she was putting things into her bag. Then she was able to steal another bag to steal more things,” said Amy Cooper, the owner of Plum Goods Store.

According to the surveillance footage, the woman left the gift shop after more than an hour of browsing. She was seen picking up items and removing the price tags. After she stole a purse and stuffed stolen goods in the bag, she left the store.

Minutes later, she was seen walking into Italian Pottery Outlet a few doors down the street.

The store associates were in the middle closing the store, but they let her shop around. She was about to leave the store, when an observant clerk noticed her trying to walk out without paying for a tote bag.

The clerk confronted her and took back the stolen items.

“She didn’t seem in the least bit concerned. It wasn’t like she was an obvious criminal, she was disoriented,” said Liz Stockdill, a sales associate at Italian Pottery Outlet.

Stockdill did not call the police. She says the shoplifter looked like she needed mental health help.

However, Amy Cooper, the owner of Plum Goods, is asking for the public’s help in finding the woman.

“This store means a lot to me and I’m a local single mom and for her to take that much, she’s taking that out of my bank account,” said Cooper.

Reporter Vicky Nguyen will visit the store owners and the police department to find out more about the theft. That story tonight on NewsChannel 3 at 5 and 6 p.m.

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