THOMASTON, Maine — A Belfast woman is being held without bail following her initial court appearance Friday afternoon for allegedly switching tags on store merchandise to save money.
Kara Joy Kinney, 36, was arrested Wednesday at the Wal-Mart in Thomaston by Thomaston police Officer Michael Blais and charged with felony theft and theft by deception.
A Wal-Mart loss-prevention employee observed Kinney switching tags on shoes, according to the affidavit filed by Thomaston police in Rockland District Court. The employee watched her switch tags on other items, and Kinney eventually went through the checkout line, the police report stated. Kinney was confronted outside the store, and she agreed to return.
When Blais arrived, Kinney admitted she switched tags on 10 items, according to the affidavit. The cost of the items she had were originally marked for sale at $73.20, but she paid $21.80 after switching the price tags.
The theft charge was elevated to a felony because Kinney previously had been found guilty of embezzling $26,000 from her employer, Little River Veterinary Hospital in Northport, according to Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Baroody.
In addition, according to court documents, Kinney was convicted of theft three other times in Waldo County between 2011 and March 2014. Kinney was on probation at the time of her arrest Wednesday.
On Friday, Judge Susan Sparaco ordered Kinney held without bail until a hearing is held in January on a motion to revoke her probation.