by Ryan Simms, KOMO News ReporterScreenshot from surveillance footage showing two people stealing from an Ulta in Lynnwood. Police has arrested one woman and expect to arrest more people involved in stealing and destroying approximately $450,000 worth of merchandise from Ulta stores between Washington and Oregon since June 2022 in the near future.
The Attorney General’s Office charged Shellonda K. Daniel in King County Superior Court with two counts of felony first-degree organized retail theft.in King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom counties totaling more than $200,000. The thefts ranged from individual store losses of $1,042 to $19,459. While the alleged thefts occurred in multiple jurisdictions, the state organized retail theft statute allows the Attorney General to aggregate them and file the charges in one county.
The affidavit of probable cause asserts Daniel made physical and verbal threats to employees and managers. In some cases, she would openly display a can of bear spray toward employees or customers who got close to her or her accomplices, then threaten to spray it on them.In November 2023, Ferguson filed the first felony criminal charges against a Washingtonian for organized retail theft and also announced a leader for the unit.
The need for a centralized unit and more investigative and prosecutorial resources was identified by Ferguson’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force, which convened in 2022. The task force includes representatives from state, local, and federal law enforcement, small and large businesses, and retail workers.became available on July 1. The office is in the process of hiring investigators, prosecutors, paralegals, and a data analyst.