Quilt Shops – along with other small business owners being targeted

Update as of 05/17/2024

Quilt shops, are still being targeted by these two individuals. They are stealing from the shops, their employees, and their customers.

Most recently they have been in and targeted the quilt shops in:

• Slidell, Louisiana – February 2024
• Biloxi, Mississippi – March 2024
• Gulfport, Mississippi – March 2024

They used the same MO (mode of operation) as below. They were seen leaving in a dark, gray, small compact vehicle with no tags. They wore face masks and the man wore a white hat and sunglasses.

The police in this area are actively looking for them and are aware that this is a multi state issue.

According to all reports

The couple below enters the shop, the female suspect has fabric swatches and distracts the employee with a story about making pillows for/with grandma. The male suspect searches for purses and removes wallets. They then exit the shop.

Once they have something, they proceed directly to a Walmart or Sam’s Club to spend whatever they can.

They are seen leaving in vehicles – without license plates (different vehicles in different locations have been reported).

They are targeting multiple quilt shops in an area before relocating to a different area.

Early reports have this couple hitting quilt shops in

• Yukon Oklahoma – 2021 (Photo)
• San Angelo Texas – January 13, 2022
• Omaha Nebraska (2 shops) – Early 2022
• Chicago Illinois – March 2022
• Pittsburgh and Glenshaw Pennsylvania – May 2022
• South and North Dakota – February/ March 2022
• Louisville and Bowling Green Kentucky – June 2022
• Tucson Arizona – June 1, 2022
• Odessa and Midland Texas – June 7, 2022
• Billings Montana – June 8, 2022 (Photo and Video)
• New Jersey – June 14, 2022 (Photo)
• Temecula and Riverside California – August 2022 (Photo)
• Ohio and Pennsylvania – March 2023
• Western New York – September 2023
• Louisiana and Mississippi – February/March 2024

More recent siting’s have been in

• Slidell, Louisiana, Biloxi, Mississippi, and Gulfport, Mississippi – February/March 2024

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Protecting yourself and your shop:

Internal

• Talk to your employees – regularly. Show them the pictures, discuss the diversionary tactics, and how to safely address them.
• Post pictures on the door, at the cash register, in employee breakrooms, and the “back of the house” work/storage rooms.
• Beef up internal security practices – keep purses, coats, jackets, and other valuables locked up, and your cash register secured. No personal belongings in or near the cash wrap station.
• Greet every customer – look at them directly so they know that you are paying attention to them.

External

• Share with your local media – this helps to prompt national exposure.
• Share with other shops around you.

Sharing this information with neighboring businesses, other businesses within our industry, and your local media – could help prevent more thefts and also help law enforcement to put the pieces of this puzzle together and find this couple.

Shop Template Press Release
https://fabshopnet.com/downloads/Template/PressRelease-BeOnAlert.docx

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