Facebook 'selfie' leads to shoplifting arrest in Illinois: police

[July 22, 2014]  By Mary Wisniewski
 
 CHICAGO (Reuters) - An Illinois woman made police work easy when she allegedly stole a colorful, leopard-pattern dress from a small boutique, then posted a picture of herself wearing it on Facebook, police said on Monday.

Danielle Saxton, 27, of West Frankfort allegedly took a dress and other items from Morties Boutique on July 11, and was spotted walking away from the store by the owner's son, said owner Gay Williams Morton and police.

The store described the stolen items on Facebook. News travels fast in the small southern Illinois town, and within about two hours, someone sent a link to Saxton's Facebook post, where she'd posted a "selfie" with the message "Love my dress," Morton said.

"I called the police department and said, 'It just hit Facebook,' and they were on it in two seconds," he said.
 

Saxton was charged with theft and with failure to appear in court on a warrant in another case, according to West Frankfort Police Dispatch Supervisor John Hampton. He did not know the charge in the earlier case.

The July theft was caught on the store's surveillance camera, he said.

"The police knew who she was. She was arrested the same afternoon," Hampton said.

Saxton was released on bond, but her phone number was not listed and she could not be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Eric Beech)

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