Child Used By Shoplifters To Hide Merchandise: Westlake Police

WESTLAKE, OH —Some 70 pieces of new jewelry were stolen from Pat Catan's after a group of women used a small child to hide the products from store employees. Westlake Police want the public's help finding the suspects and bringing them to justice.

The theft happened at about 4 p.m. on Monday. Police were called to the Columbia Road store by management for reports that a customer had walked out of the store with a cart full of items. The suspects were gone before officers arrived.

Surveillance footage from the store shows three women, with a young child in tow, come into Pat Catan's. One of the women fills a basket with jewelry, then puts it in a shopping cart. When a store employee walked by, the woman placed the child atop the basket to hide it.

The women left the store without paying, taking the basket with them. They were seen putting the entire basket into a purple sports car and then driving off the Pat Catan's parking lot, police said.

Pat Catan's is supplying the surveillance footage to Westlake Police, but in the meanwhile a still photo of one of the suspects has been released to the public. Anyone that can identify the suspect is asked to call the Westlake Police's non-emergency line at 440-871-3311.

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Photo from Westlake Police