A Roseville woman was sentenced for repeatedly shoplifting at a local retail business.

Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Roseville Repeat Retail Thief Sentenced

A Roseville woman was sentenced for repeatedly shoplifting at a local retail business.

Luella J. Epler, age 49, of Roseville, appeared in Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas for sentencing.

On September 30, Judge Mark C. Fleegle sentenced Epler after she repaid more than $1,000 in restitution.

Epler will also have to perform 40 hours of community service.

Eppler was not eligible to go to prison, based on laws enacted by the Ohio Legislature. The law states that if a person has no prior criminal record, theft up to $149,999 cannot be punishable by prison.

At a previous hearing, Epler was found guilty of felony theft and contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a child.

On April 30, police officers were called by Walmart concerning a customer “under-ringing” while checking out. The business had caught two shoplifters in the act.

Walmart cameras can track under-ringing, also known as under-scanning, on its self-checkout lanes.

Under-ringing is the act of not scanning all items in a purchase.

When under-ringing is detected, Walmart retains video footage and information concerning the theft and flags the customer for loss prevention when they return.

The system detected that Epler and her underage granddaughter had shoplifted, by under-ringing on 18 separate visits to Walmart over three days.

Epler used her granddaughter to help her steal the items. The two of them had stolen more than $1,000 during the crime spree.

Muskingum County Assistant Prosecutor John Litle says Epler crossed a line by enlisting her granddaughter in the shoplifting scam.

“It’s one thing to just be a thief by stealing things and deceiving the scanner,” Litle said. “It is quite another thing to train a child to do so. That is why a felony conviction was absolutely the appropriate outcome, given the options in this case.”



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Roseville Repeat Retail Thief Sentenced