Old story is old, but ones like it rarely fail to amuse me to some degree and it’s been a slow couple of days round these parts, so here we are.
LaSalle police had an easy arrest Monday at Windsor Crossings Premium Outlets after an alleged shoplifter mistakenly got into their unmarked police vehicle.
Officers responded to the outlet mall around 3 p.m. to look for the shoplifter, described as a woman wearing a pink hijab and carrying a blanket-covered baby seat.
A detective waited in his vehicle outside the store — but when the suspect exited, she walked directly to the unmarked police car and tried to get in the back seat.
She had apparently mistaken the vehicle for the one that was supposed to pick her up.
A 35-year-old woman was arrested and charged with theft and possession of stolen property. Police say that they’ve dealt with her previously, so perhaps this whole wrong car business was as much instinct as it was anything else.