Women Charged for Stealing $2,000 Worth of Tide Detergent

Two women sought by Cranston police for a string of Tide laundry detergent thefts from local Stop and Shop supermarkets have been arrested.

Tasha Fernette, 25, and Heather Ruge, 26, both of West Warwick, were arrested after police released images of the two women walking out of the Stop and Shop on Garfield Avenue in Cranston on May 30. Those images were posted by two news outlets, one of which was the Cranston Patch.

The pictures showed the pair after they had just loaded a cart with Tide worth about $500, police said The two suspects had just stolen Tide from two other Stop and Shops in Providence and Coventry to the tune of about $2,000 in all.

Both women were identified and arrested by police last week.

Fernette was charged with felony shoplifting and conspiracy on June 8 in Third Division District Court and ordered held as a bail violator. Court records show Fernette was arrested in May for felony shoplifting by Warwick Police and was free on bail when she allegedly went on the most-recent Tide-stealing spree.

Ruge, her accomplice, was also arrested for shoplifting in May, though she was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting. She pleaded no contest to that charge and the case was filed for one year. She was also ordered to complete 20 hours of community service and all court costs were waived.

On the new charge, Ruge is facing a new charge of misdemeanor shoplifting and a charge of conspiracy. She was released on personal recognizance after appearing in court on June 7 and is due to return for arraignment on June 23.