Canton Police Charge 4 With Shoplifting

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Four people have been arrested and charged in connection to a shoplifting at a store within the Canton Marketplace shopping center.

Canton officers over the weekend arrested Atlanta residents Laquenda Ann Allen, 27, Deonte Almond, 18, Veonia Hixson, 22 and Cedriona Johnson, 18.

Officers responded to a shoplifting call at The Children’s Place at 1810 Cumming Highway just after 10:30 p.m. Saturday, May 23. Officers were informed that the four suspects were still on the scene. When patrol units arrived at the store, the suspects fled on foot towards a vehicle “that was obviously waiting to pick them up,” Canton police said on its Facebook page.

Officers were able to detain the suspects before they were able to get away. They were also able to recover the merchandise allegedly stolen during the incident.

• RELATED: Four Women Arrested in Alleged Forgery Ring

Officers returned to the Canton Police Department and processed several thousands dollars worth of stolen merchandise. Additionally, officers also allegedly found one firearm and marijuana in bags belonging to two suspects.

Additionally, Canton police said two of the suspects lied about their age by claiming they were juveniles, so Canton police utilized the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office and Facebook to unearth the truth.

Specific charges for each of the suspects include:

• Allen: theft by shoplifing, possession of tools for the commission of a crime and possession of marijuana.
• Hixson: theft by shoplifting, possession of tools for the commission of a crime and false name; placed on hold for another agency.
• Almond: theft by shoplifting, possession of tools for commission of crime, false name, misdemeanor obstruction of an officer, possession of weapons by person under 18 and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
• Johnson: theft by shoplifting, possession of tools for commission of a crime, misdemeanor obstruction of an officer and false name; placed on hold for another agency.

Canton Police Chief Mark Mitchell praised the arrests.

“This was truly a team effort,” he said. “I am proud of our hard working officers and commend the diligent store clerks who assisted us during this incident. I also want to thank the sheriff’s office for helping us to identify the suspects who were less than truthful with our officers during this investigation. It takes collaborative efforts like this to continue to improve the quality of life for our community.”

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Photo: from left to right, Cedriona Johnson, Laquenda Ann Allen, Deonte Almond and Veonia Hixson. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff’s Office