Woman facing felony shoplifting charge stemming from incident at Belk

A Harlan County woman could spend up to five years in prison after she was arrested Friday for allegedly attempting to shoplift more than $700 worth of merchandise from Belk in Corbin.

Juanita Olene Lawson, 36, was arrested outside the store with five pairs of shoes, seven shirts, a pair of sweatpants, and underwear concealed in a bag and on her person.

Corbin Police Officer Wade Mitchell noted in the arrest citation that Belk loss prevention reported that Lawson was caught on video entering a fitting room with a large quantity of merchandise.

Loss prevention told police that after leaving the fitting room, Lawson walked to the exit where she was stopped.

Of the $777.49 worth of merchandise, $135 was determined to be damaged and no longer able to be sold.

Mitchell stated that Lawson initially identified herself as Darlene Adams. However, the Social Security number she provided did not match that name.

Lawson was charged with theft by unlawful taking of the value of $500 or more but less than $10,000, and giving an officer false identifying information.

She was lodged in the Knox County Detention Center where she is being held on a $10,000 cash bond.

She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to appear in Knox District Court at 11 a.m. Tuesday for a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is probable cause to present the case to a Knox County grand jury.

Under Kentucky law, the theft charge is a Class D felony, carrying a potential prison sentence of one to five years.