Felony theft charges filed in mother-daughter shoplifting cases

Felony theft charges were filed Tuesday against two Sioux Falls women for allegedly stealing from two Luverne businesses last summer.
Shelley Meyer, 51, and her daughter, Allison Meyer, 18, both of Sioux Falls, are accused of shoplifting nearly $2,800 worth of merchandise from two retail stores in Luverne on Aug. 1.
According to the complaints filed Jan. 5 in Rock County District Court, the investigation was prompted by an Aug. 1 phone call to law enforcement from Dragonfly store owner Stacy Riphagen who reported theft from her Main Street boutique.
After reviewing her surveillance recording, Riphagen told Deputy Mike Westerbur that two women had been in the store around 3 p.m. and had stolen a large number of items — with a total inventory value of $1,336.14.
She indicated that the two women had shopped in the store for quite some time and had left without incident. At closing time she noticed several items missing that she knew hadn’t been sold.
The security recording shows the two women placing things into their bags as they moved about the store. It also shows that one of the women had entered a drawing at the store by filling out a slip of paper.
Riphagen was able to retrieve the slip, which showed the name to be Allison Meyer with a phone number and both a physical and an email address.
Westerbur contacted Allison Meyer and arranged for her and her mother, Shelley Meyer, to voluntarily come to the law enforcement center in Luverne to be interviewed on Aug. 2. Westerbur explained to both that they were not in custody and that they were free to leave at any time.
The complaint states that Westerbur first talked to Allison Meyer who admitted that she and her mother were in Dragonfly. She said they had gone to two stores in Luverne and had taken some specific items, but said she was unaware if her mother stole items as well.
Westerbur then talked to Shelley Meyer who would also admit to taking jewelry, sprays and a black purse.
Riphagen said it’s unclear if her store will be awarded restitution at the full value of her losses, but she said there are important lessons in the crime for all small business owners.
“Basically what got them is our security system,” Riphagen said. “That, and knowing your inventory.”
She said it didn't take long to notice the items missing from shelves and to start reviewing surveillance recordings.
“I felt so bad — very violated,” she said about watching the recording of two women move around her store. “When you open your store, it’s like you’re opening your home to people, because these are all items I’ve purchased and put out there.”
Riphagen said the experience has taught her about shoppers and their body language.
“Most people come through the store and sort of circle the whole store, but these two were darting between displays,” she said. “They were pretty good at what they did. You could tell this wasn’t their first time.”
Riphagen added that the experience has made her less trusting of her clientele.
“You feel like you’re questioning everyone, and I don’t want to be that way,” she said. “I want shoppers to have a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. … I guess we were too relaxed and inviting.”
She said she’s made other adjustments, such as not displaying as much high-value inventory at a time, and keeping some things, like jewelry, in locked cases.
Also, she said, it’s important to communicate with other local retailers. “Let each other know what’s going on.”
This may have been helpful to the Walgraves, whose store, Those Blasted Things, was allegedly victimized by the same two women on Aug. 1.
 
Those Blasted Things reports thefts on same day
According to the complaints filed Tuesday, Deputy Glen Reisdorfer was dispatched on Aug. 5 to Those Blasted Things in Luverne to take a theft complaint.
Employee Katie Walgrave informed Reisdorfer that the thefts had occurred on Aug. 1, 2015, and that the surveillance video shows two females stealing items from the store.
She said she had heard about other thefts in Luverne at the Dragonfly and checked their inventory and watched the film and observed two people in their store apparently stealing items as well.
Reisdorfer watched the video and watched the video Riphagen had provided of the Dragonfly thefts and could observe that it was the same two people involved in the thefts.
Reisdorfer called the number that Allison Meyer had provided in her drawing at Dragonfly.
Upon talking to Allison Meyer she stated she had taken care of the thefts with the other deputy.
When Reisdorfer told her he was calling about another store, she asked which one.
According to the complaint, Reisdorfer told her to tell him, as she knew where she’d been, and she replied the Information Store (the travel information center is attached to Those Blasted Things).
She then stated she was only in the two stores. She then stated she was at work but would bring the stolen merchandise from Those Blasted Things back to Luverne after work.
At 6:45 p.m. Allison and Shelley Meyer both arrived at the sheriff’s office with a plastic bag full of items claiming it was everything they had taken.
There were approximately 15 items returned, but Those Blasted Things inventory shows approximately 100 items stolen with a retail value of $1,462.39.
Both Shelley and Allison Meyer are charged with theft of moveable property, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
They’re scheduled to appear in Rock County District Court at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25.