Walgreens in Cotati temporarily closes amid spike in shoplifting

Walgreens in Cotati has seen a recent spike in shoplifting, forcing the store to close for a day last week out of safety concerns for customers.

The store, located just off Highway 101, abruptly closed Sunday and posted a sign at its entrance.

“We are closed due to too many thefts today and deem it unsafe for shoppers. We will reopen tomorrow at 7 a.m.,” the sign read.

When asked Thursday about the closure, a Walgreens employee said they noticed 12 people allegedly shoplifting within a half-hour Sunday. But there is not much employees can do to intervene.

If a customer is suspected of shoplifting, they may be asked to leave, the employee said. But employees are not allowed to ask a customer if they are shoplifting, per store policy.

Another instance of shoplifting occurred later Thursday, after the Press Democrat reporter left the store. Three people were arrested that day, Cotati police said Friday, on suspicion of shoplifting from the Cotati Walgreens and other area stores.

Oakland residents Dominique Starks and Breana Appleby, as well as San Francisco resident Keanna Smith Stewart, were arrested on suspicion of felony burglary, felony grand theft and felony conspiracy.

Appleby had an active warrant from Kern County and Smith Stewart was on federal probation for theft, according to a news release from the Cotati Police Department.

Cotati police Sgt. Paul Goodin said a Walgreens employee called police believing one of the three suspects could have been involved in a previous unreported theft. The employee noticed the suspects were walking through the store and putting large items in bags.

Cotati officers responded to the store, with assistance from the Sonoma State University Police Department, at 5:37 p.m. Thursday. They found a Toyota SUV backed into a parking spot in front of the store with its engine running with multiple bags of merchandise inside.

Goodin said it was later determined the merchandise had also been stolen from other stores.

Officers waited by the vehicle as the three individuals walked out of Walgreens with bags of stolen merchandise, police said.

The three were booked into the Sonoma County jail, but released with a citation to appear in court at a later date.

Management at the Cotati Walgreens, as well as its corporate offices, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Press Democrat.

Cotati police Chief Michael Parish said Cotati police have seen an increase in shoplifting at Cotati businesses following the passing of Proposition 47, also known as the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, that went into effect in November 2014 and reduces most drug possession offenses and thefts valued under $950 from felonies to misdemeanors.

But, Parish added, the increase had not been significant in recent days or weeks.

Goodin said stores don’t always report shoplifting to police for various reasons, such as not wanting to report their losses or bother with prosecution.

“I think, if looking back within the last six months, (shoplifting) has probably stayed where it has been for a while,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Sara Edwards at 707-521-5487 or sara.edwards@pressdemocrat. com. On Twitter @sedwards380.

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