She said she was ‘just browsing.’ Stealing was her real aim

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a woman stole from businesses in north Macon this week.

A heavyset woman walked inside Run Fit Sports on Forsyth Road late Monday afternoon, but she wasn’t looking to buy shoes.

When the store manager asked if she needed help, “she said, ‘no, I’m just browsing,’” store owner Perry Slaughter told The Telegraph.

The manager and another employee were helping another customer when, Slaughter said, the woman walked brazenly through some curtains in the store, where she picked up the manager’s wallet and left immediately.

“It looked like she knew exactly where to go, which is weird,” Slaughter said.

The manager’s driver’s license, debit card, business credit card and her child’s Social Security card were among the items in the wallet, according to a deputy’s report.

It didn’t take long for the bandit to rack up more than $1,400 in charges at two different Walgreen’s stores in Macon, the deputy’s report said.

The woman’s actions were caught on the store’s video surveillance.

Slaughter posted a short video on Facebook in hopes someone could identify her. Several business owners in Middle Georgia responded, saying they recognized the woman.

Then, on Wednesday, the same woman was spotted in Chi-Ches-ter’s on Vineville Avenue, store co-owner Elaine Wright said.

The store manager watched in a mirror as the woman began shoving children’s clothing into her pants.

“At that point, she confronted her and asked her to give back the clothing,” Wright said.

The woman ran off, dropping some of the clothing in the process.

Anyone with information about either case is asked to call the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500 or to call Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-866-68-CRIME.

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 1:20 PM with the headline "She said she was ‘just browsing.’ Stealing was her real aim."