By Teddy Kulmala
Aiken Standard
AIKEN, S.C. — Two women were arrested and three children were taken into protective custody after the women tried to shoplift from an Aiken store Wednesday morning, according to the Aiken Department of Public Safety.
Juanita Lorraine Stokes, 27, of Horizon Street, was charged with shoplifting-second offense and driving under suspension-third offense.
Officers will also obtain warrants for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Kimiko Anesha Dansby, 21, of Lucious Road in Columbia, was charged with shoplifting-first offense and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Officers responded to Wal-Mart on Whiskey Road at about 7:20 a.m. Wednesday, where a shoplifting suspect had fled south on
Whiskey Road with an unrestrained child in the vehicle, according to an incident report.
An officer saw the vehicle pull onto Whiskey Road from Sharyn Lane and initiated a stop on the vehicle.
The driver, Stokes, began uttering, “I’m sorry, I tried to give the lady her stuff back. I’m sorry.”
An officer found jewelry charms in Stokes’ jacket pocket, and she said she forgot they were in there, police said.
Officers later learned Stokes’ driver’s license was suspended, and she had been twice convicted of driving under suspension.
A 1-year-old boy in the back of the vehicle was dressed in a proper coat for the cold weather but did not have shoes or socks on, police said. His pants were about 6 inches too long and his hair was disheveled, according to the report.
The officer found the child’s diaper wet with urine and changed it, the report states. He also detected a foul odor from the child, who appeared unbathed, and found a pair of ill-fitting socks on the floorboard to put on the boy.
A store employee identified Stokes as a suspect, and said a second suspect had two children with her.
The second suspect, Dansby, was found near Wal-Mart with her two children, ages 1 and 4, police said.
Dansby reportedly concealed items in her purse but discarded them somewhere inside the store. She also had an arrest warrant in West Columbia for obtaining stolen goods.
Another officer arrived on scene to take custody of Dansby’s children and assist with locating proper placement of Stokes’ child.
Teddy Kulmala covers the crime and courts beat for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since August 2012.
Copyright 2014 the Aiken Standard