Family Arrested in Grocery Theft Scheme in Court

The 55-year-old Upper Southampton woman and her two adult children who were recently were in court.

Darlene McDonald, 55, of Willowpenn Drive, who faced felony charges of retail theft, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, has been accepted into an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program, court documents show. McDonald is also required to pay $1,314,78 in restitution.

The state’s ARD program is for first time criminal offenders. If all conditions of the program are met, the charges will be wiped clean from McDonald’s record, which can increase employment opportunities.

McDonald’s 35-year-old daughter, Harlianne Blanchard, faced the same charges as her mother and an additional charge of felony conspiracy. Blanchard was forced to pay $1,314,78 in restitution and, as of Monday, the court ruled she had fulfilled her penalty, dockets reported.

Harlianne’s brother, Stephen Blanchard, 32, is awaiting trial on misdemeanor counts of retail theft, theft by unlawful taking  and receiving stolen property.

At the time of their arrest, the trio, who police believe stole from the due to hard financial times, shared the same Willowpenn Drive apartment.

The family is accused of participating in a “merchandise pass-off” scheme, Detective Craig Rudisill told Patch in October.

The scheme worked like this: McDonald, a cashier at the grocery store, would have her two children check-out in the line she was working at, and instead of scanning the products, described by Rudisill as “everyday” items, McDonald would place them directly into the bagging area. This action lead to her two children receiving merchandise without paying.

Shortly after the merchandise pass-off began in June 2011, the store’s loss-prevention team caught onto it and the family was arrested by Upper Southampton police in late September.