Bulging Purse A Clue In Western Springs: Cops

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Both Western Springs and La Grange police got into an act with a woman accused of shoplifting at stores in both towns.

Through a public records request, Patch obtained the police report from Western Springs police. It is also seeking the one from La Grange.

Both departments arrested Miranda Hidalgo, 25, of Oswego, on retail theft charges.

In the early evening of March 18, Western Springs police were informed that La Grange police were searching for a woman arrested earlier in the day in La Grange on a shoplifting charge at Walgreens.

Western Springs police were called to the Honey Bee Cafe, where they saw a La Grange officer with a pile of merchandise. The La Grange officer believed some of the items may have been stolen from Walgreens and Mariano's in Western Springs.

A manager at Walgreens in Western Springs told police she saw Hidalgo grab a number of items from shelves without placing them into a cart, police said.

Hidalgo then went into the bathroom, with the manager following her. Her purse was unzipped and empty when she went into the bathroom, but was closed and full when she left, according to the police report.

The manager followed Hidalgo to Mariano's, where she notified employees that Hidalgo was stealing items from that store as well, police said.

The La Grange officer said she was speaking with the manager at Walgreens when she saw a woman matching Hidalgo's description in the Honey Bee parking lot, police said.

When the officer took the suspect into custody, she found Hidalgo had numerous boxes of medication and candy bars, according to the report.

Footage from Walgreens showed Hidalgo stealing the items and putting them in her purse, police said. The items totaled $153. At Mariano's, the stolen merchandise amounted to $259, police said.

Hidalgo was also charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and obstructing identification. She was taken to jail.