Police

Cranberry juice thief squeezes out of arrest

A woman who allegedly stole cigarettes and a bottle of cranberry juice from a Riverside gas station last Monday ignored responding officers, resisted arrest and managed to escape after a pair of dogs kept police at bay, according to a Southampton Town police report.

The owner of the Flanders Road station told police that a woman in her mid-20s tried to pay for a pack of Newport cigarettes worth $10.25, and a 32 oz. bottle of Tropicana with her bank card at about 10:35 a.m. When the charge was declined, the woman reportedly put the items in her purse and walked out of the store without paying.

The owner rushed after her, according to a report, grabbing the purse and returning inside to call police. However the woman allegedly fought with the man, grabbing her purse back and fleeing northbound on Flanders Road. The pack of cigarettes fell out of the purse but the woman escaped with the bottle of juice, worth $3.99, police said.

Responding police found the alleged thief in a mobile home park on Flanders Road. Police approached the woman, but a pair of pit bulls began barking at the officers, “preventing the arrest of the suspect,” police said. The woman struggled against police and managed to break free, running away on foot from the officers and along Flanders Road.

The suspect remains at large, according to the report.

SH_Cops