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Suspect arrested for stealing designer clothing

Lead Summary
By
Lori Sorenson

A 32-year-old Luverne woman is in the Nobles County Jail after law enforcement recovered stolen items in her apartment Thursday, Jan. 12.
According to information from the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, Shauna LaForce is accused of stealing more than $3,000 worth of LuLaRoe designer clothing.
Sheriff Evan Verbrugge said the case was wrapped up in just a few days, thanks to social media and “good old fashioned police work.”
According to the arrest report, Luverne’s Dan Nath called the Sheriff’s Office around 11 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, to report a burglary at the home of his son and daughter-in-law.
Matt and Tracie Nath were out of town and Dan had stopped to let their dog out when he noticed the lights on in the garage and an unfamiliar woman in the breezeway.
He said he chased her through the backyard, but he didn’t catch her before she jumped a fence.
He told officers she was about 5 foot, 3 inches tall with a dark long puffy coat and thick-rimmed glasses. He said she drove off in a small dark SUV that had a luggage rack and a Wheel City Auto placard.
He showed Deputy Shelley Douty the garage with some clothing items and showed her a pink bag with items in it that belonged to the thief — some clothing and three knives. There was Pall Mall cigarette on the floor next to the bag, and Dan said Matt and Tracie don’t smoke.
There was also a pile of hangers on the floor that he presumed were from clothes that had been taken.
When the couple returned home, Tracie told Deputy Douty she was missing approximately 70 items of clothing from LuLaRoe, which she is a consultant for. She said the missing items had a retail value of $3,000 to $3,500.
Tracie told the Star Herald Friday, Jan. 13, that LaForce — using the last name of Dwyer — had messaged her through Facebook last week.
“She said she had just moved to town and wanted to shop and was interested in becoming a consultant,” Tracie said.
“I told her, no, because I would be out of town; I was too trusting. So I guess she figured she’d come and shop.”
Tracie said LaForce likely made several trips with her car to have stolen that much merchandise.
“She would have gotten away with more than $4,500 worth of clothing if my father-in-law hadn’t stopped her,” Tracie said.
Dan Nath said he’s glad he stopped at the house when he did.  “It was lucky that I walked in on her,” he said.
Tracie said some of her clients informed her earlier this week that LaForce (Dwyer) was selling the stolen clothing on Facebook, and Douty contacted LaForce on Facebook to arrange a staged sale on Jan. 13.
Meanwhile, on Jan. 11, Douty overheard radio talk about a traffic stop involving a black Kia Sportage with no plates. She was able to identify the owner of that vehicle as LaForce, who had used a Michigan license under the name Shauna LaForce instead of Dwyer.
The photo appeared to be the same person. A Twitter account for Shauna LaForce was located and the picture matched that of Dwyer and dispatch located a South Dakota Driver’s license under the name of Shauna LaForce with the same address as a Shaun Dwyer.


Law enforcement spotted the Kia on the 100 block of E. Lincoln and the VIN number came back to LaForce with an address of 127 E. Lincoln St. Apt. No. 2. The owner of the apartment building verified that she lived at that address. 
The next day Sgt. Jeff Wieneke and Deputy Mike Westerbur knocked on the door, and LaForce didn’t answer the door at first. She later let them in and agreed to be questioned at the Law Enforcement Center.
Wieneke read her Miranda Warning and she signed a waiver agreeing to speak to him without counsel present.
LaForce said she has lived in Luverne since November 2016 with her fiancé Shaun Dwyer and she recently lost her job as a nanny. 
She said entering the home was a “terrible lapse in judgment,” but she at first denied taking anything.
When Wieneke asked if he’d find anything at her house if he looked, LaForce reportedly admitted she did in fact take numerous items. She also admitted that the pink bag with knives found in the garage was hers.
When LaForce consented to a search of the apartment and her car, 27 items of stolen clothing were recovered in the apartment.
She’s scheduled to make her first court appearance on Tuesday.
Tracie told the Star Herald the incident has shaken her trust, but she also learned she had friends in her corner.
“I have a really great customer base; they were really willing to help; It was awesome,” she said Friday.
“I’m just really grateful for everyone helping me out.”

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