Mother, Daughter Alcohol Thieves Nabbed On Peninsula, Police Say

PACIFICA, CA — A mother and daughter were arrested this week after stealing hundreds of dollars' in alcohol from a Pacifica grocery store — with a minor in tow, police said.

Police say Regina Pearl Wilson, 67, and her daughter Shonta Rene Jones, 41, took Jones' 11-year-old daughter to a Safeway store in the Linda Mar Shopping Center and stole more than $300 worth of booze around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday. The women then fled northbound on state Highway 1 in a silver sedan, and were soon spotted by police.

"[A Pacifica Police Department officer] noticed the vehicle and occupants matched the description provided by store staff," police said in a news release. "This observant officer conducted a traffic stop on this vehicle, and detained the occupants while further investigation was conducted. The investigation revealed that these were the proper suspects."

Wilson and Jones were both given criminal citations for theft, police said. Wilson was on probation for possessing stolen property and also had an outstanding warrant for prior thefts. She was arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail.

Jones also had an outstanding warrant for narcotics violations, according to Pacifica Police. She was released.

During the investigation, police said they tried to comfort the young girl.

"One of the officers on scene purchased a fruit cup from a nearby convenience store for the 11 year-old girl, which helped to calm her while her mother was detained during the investigation," police said.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone