A Newnan woman and her three daughters were arrested Dec. 1 at the Peachtree City Walmart for snatching a purse in an unattended shopping cart.
Lechell Hendrix, 45, Rebekah Hendrix, 21, and 17-year-old Emily Hendrix, all of Greenville Street in Newnan, were charged with theft by taking, according to Peachtree City Police spokesperson Rosanna Dove. Also arrested on theft charges was another of Hendrix’s daughters, age 15, Dove added.
Police reports stated that on Dec. 1 at approximately 7 p.m. two of the four arrested were seen walking up to an unattended buggy where they were soon joined by the two remaining family members. The unattended buggy contained a purse, reports said.
“The females looked around the area in a cautious manner and ultimately pushed the buggy away from the area where it was originally placed. The females pushed the cart around different areas of the store, took the purse out and placed it in their buggy and left the original cart in the dairy section of the store. One of the females took the purse and placed the straps over her shoulder as if the purse were her property when checking out,” according to reports.
Police reports noted that the mother and daughters completed checking out the merchandise they were purchasing and started to leave the store, adding that they never made any attempt to contact a Walmart associate to return the purse to its rightful owner. The four were stopped and questioned by Peachtree City officers at the store’s exit doors, officers said.
Reports said that officers were told that the four had planned to take the money from the purse and divide it among them. The purse contained $40, according to reports.
Lechell, Rebekah and Emily Hendrix were transported to the Fayette County Jail. The 15-year-old was released to her father.
