A Mountain Home woman, 34-year-old Heather Ann Lewis, has been arrested and charged with two felonies in connection with an incident in which she allegedly exchanged a gift card for an item she shoplifted from another area of a local store.Lewis is charged with both commercial burglary and theft of property under state of emergency.
Mountain Home Police Chief Carry Manuel says the second felony charge can be added if the alleged offense occurs in an area under a state of emergency designated by the president, governor or the executive officer of the city or county.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Lewis allegedly entered a local, unnamed business last Saturday evening with an empty cart. She reportedly proceeded to the hardware area of the store, where she placed a shop-vac in the cart.
Video surveillance indicates she then immediately went to customer service and “returned” the item for a gift card valued at $80.75. Lewis then reportedly made a purchase for just under $49.
The report indicates Lewis has been trespassed from the business five times since 2009, “stealing a total of $1,534.50 during that period, not including the latest incident.”
Chief Manuel says due to the previous incidents, Lewis was charged with a felony count of commercial burglary instead of a misdemeanor count of shoplifting.
Lewis is a parolee with the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Her bond was set at $10,000.
She was taken into custody Thursday when her husband, 33-year-old William Joshua Lewis was arrested in connection with multiple thefts of catalytic converters reported across Baxter County.
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