A Mt. Juliet police officer arrested a 39-year-old Nashville woman at Academy Sports on Saturday, Oct. 10, after recognizing her as an organized retail theft suspect with seven prior felony convictions.
The officer was on patrol that evening when the woman entered the store, the Mt. Juliet Police Department said on X. The department said the woman had previously been arrested for shoplifting at the same Academy Sports location.
Shortly after she left the store, officers stopped her for multiple traffic violations. They also observed behavior that raised suspicions of criminal activity, the department said.
Officers determined the woman had stolen approximately $275 worth of merchandise from Academy Sports and concealed it in her purse. She was charged with shoplifting and possession of burglary tools.
The stop turned up more.
Officers found more than $1,000 worth of additional suspected stolen clothing inside the woman's vehicle. The department said the items are believed to have been taken from retailers in the Nashville area. Officers are working to identify the businesses involved and return the merchandise.
The department did not name the woman or the responding officer.
The arrest is the latest in a string of organized retail theft cases MJPD has pursued in recent months. On Aug. 16, an officer arrested a 40-year-old Nashville woman at a Mt. Juliet Walmart after observing suspicious behavior, according to the Lebanon Democrat. That woman had been out on bond for a prior organized retail theft charge and had three felony convictions.
In an Aug. 18 statement about that Walmart arrest, the department described its approach as proactive policing, saying officers paid attention and knew what to look for.
Residents who witness suspicious activity at local retailers can contact the Mt. Juliet Police Department.
