From Chief P.K. Johnson
Millbrook Police Department
See mugshots below.
On Monday. September 30, 2024, Millbrook police responded to Walmart with regards to a report of a theft in progress. Upon arrival, officers were contacted by Walmart loss prevention staff, who identified two adult females, later identified as Kayla N. Palmer, a 35-year-old Montgomery resident and Deidra L. Green, a 36-year-old Montgomery resident, who were in the company of (4) juveniles ranging in age from 15 to 4 years of age, as suspects in a theft that had just occurred.
Loss prevention staff alleged that Palmer, Green and a 15-year-old female juvenile entered the business, separated and collected assorted property, which was later determined to be valued in excess of $700, concealing said property in bags, then exited the business without remitting payment and placing the property into a vehicle. The property alleged to have been taken was recovered from the vehicle, and identified by loss prevention personnel.
Kayla Palmer, Deidra Green and the 15-year-old juvenile were placed under arrest, with each being charged with Organized Retail Theft. The alleged offenders were transported to the Millbrook Police Department, with the adults later being transported to the Elmore County Jail. Palmer was additionally charged with Contributing to the Delinquency, Dependency or Need of Supervision of Children, after detectives determined that she was the parent/legal guardian of the 15-year-old accomplice involved in the offense.
Cases like this both infuriate and sadden me. There is no excuse to expose children to criminal acts like this. In speaking with our detectives, it was fairly obvious that these individuals entered this business with the intent to commit the crime of theft, with a plan, which they executed. The only flaw in their plan was they did not account for the diligence of the businesses’ loss prevention staff, who surveilled their activities, contacted law enforcement, who responded promptly and were able to apprehend the alleged offenders quickly and without incident.
I’ve stated multiple times, and I will continue to do so until people understand and take heed, these businesses are fed up with people that think they can just come into a business, take what they want and leave without remitting to payment. It has become such a problem, not only in this state, but across the entire country, that businesses are investing in the best surveillance equipment that’s out there and hiring competent loss prevention staff to monitor patrons and potential offenders in order to protect their investment and to prevent offenses like this from occurring.
The State of Alabama has strengthened Retail Theft laws in an attempt to discourage the increases observed in the occurrence of these thefts committed at retail establishments in recent years. I can’t speak for other law enforcement agencies and I’m certainly not speaking for any particular business, but I will say, unequivocally, if you come to Millbrook Alabama with the intent to commit theft at a business, or anywhere else for that matter, you stand a pretty good chance of being apprehended by our officers. You can be assured that our officers and detectives will utilize every available resource in presenting the best possible case to our District Attorney’s Office or City Prosecutor, whichever is appropriate, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
