According to a citation filed by the Richmond Police Department, 27yr old Andrea Patterson was recently detained for robbery (2nd degree) and criminal mischief (2nd degree) at the Belk in Richmond.
Patterson had reportedly stolen $500 – $1000 of merchandise and stashed the items inside a large empty purse she had brought into the store. Belk Loss Prevention monitored the activity of the suspect as she made multiple trips to the changing rooms and noticed the merchandise in her purse as she exited.
When Patterson tried to leave the store, she was confronted by Loss Prevention and was escorted to a back office, but attempted to flee. During the altercation, Patterson then struck Loss Prevention with her purse making them both fall into a glass casing causing it to shatter and began scratching at authorities resulting in lacerations to the neck.
The report states that Patterson claimed she was shopping for a birthday party but did not like using shopping carts. She admitted to putting the merchandise in her bag and stated she had “every intention of paying”, but got nervous a man was following her though the store.
Andrea Patterson was detained and lodged in the Madison County Detention Center.
