Woman Lets Dog Pee On Clothing In Toms River Store, Then Takes Police On High-Speed Chase

An Ocean County woman is being sought by Toms River police after she allowed her dog to pee on a bunch of clothing in a women’s store in Toms River on Monday and then fled at high speed.

Theresa M. Tumbleson, 35, of Bowman Avenue in Jackson, was identified through her physical description and the license plate on her white Chevy Malibu, Toms River police spokesman Ralph Stocco said.

Stocco said that store employees at the Lane Bryant store, in the Bey Lea Plaza shopping center, told police that about 1 p.m. Monday a woman entered the store with a small dog and allowed it to pee on 14 dresses and 11 pairs of pants, causing damage in excess of $2,000. When they asked her to leave the store, she refused and became belligerent.

Employees at the store, which carries plus-size clothing for women, called police. When Officer Carl Basile and Sgt. Scott Moeller arrived, the woman was getting into a white Chevy Malibu. They attempted to stop her but she sped away, running several red lights as they were behind her with their lights and sirens on, Stocco said.

Because the road was wet and there was a risk the community to continue to pursue her over what was initially a minor incident, the officers abandoned the chase, Stocco said.

Tumbleson is wanted on and has been charged with eluding a police officer and obstructing the administration of law, and bail on those charges has been set at $30,000, with additional charges expected to be filed in the incident at the store, Stocco said.

She remains at large; efforts to arrest her at her home have been unsuccessful so far, Stocco said.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts should contact Officer Carl Basile at 732-349-0150, extension 1348.