As a rather universal, general rule of life, it’s just not a good idea to be a criminal.
It’ll cut into your personal life, it’s generally not good for your health, and, oh yeah, criminal activity is illegal.
But if you were so inspired by the Grand Theft Auto video games to pursue a life of crime, there are some common-sense rules to follow.
You know, stuff like “Don’t leave evidence in your car,” “Don’t return to the scene of the crime,” and “Don’t target police events.”
A crook in Wisconsin somehow ran afoul of all those rules in a would-be Christmas caper that went horribly wrong, despite her best attempts at pulling out.
According to WITI-TV, an accused shoplifter apparently returned to a Walmart in Hartford, Wisconsin, just three days after allegedly lifting $600 worth of merchandise.
But this second venture to Walmart for Sophia Malak, 24, would prove to be a slightly different situation.
This time around, the Walmart was teeming with police officers who were there for the annual, countrywide event known as “Shop with a Cop.”
The event is exactly what it sounds like — underprivileged youths get to go on a shopping spree with local police officers.
It’s a great program that not only gets children some awesome Christmas gifts, but also fosters a better relationship between police and community.
Well, it’s a great program for law-abiding citizens.
For Malak? Not so much.
Three days after allegedly stealing the $600 of merchandise, Malak was back in the same store, this time with “just” $253 worth of stuff in her cart.
Much to her chagrin, police recognized her, given it had been just a few days since her last alleged heist.
When confronted, Malak explained to the police that she was “just trying to get gifts for her kids.”
Eventually, she not only admitted to stealing, but told detectives that “she would have shoplifted again.” She then claimed she “changed her mind” due to the volume of officers on the premises.
The real kicker, though, is apparently the $900 worth of allegedly stolen goods that were in her car, which officers discovered.
She now faces a felony charge for retail theft. Ouch.
About 364 days out of the year, she might’ve been fine.
But somehow, this brilliant criminal chose the one day out of the year where it would be guaranteed that police would be all over the place — with a ton of evidence in her car.
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