From Chief P.K. Johnson
Millbrook Police Department
Top Photo: This is a driver’s license photo of the suspect, provided by Millbrook Police.
On May 11, 2025, four individuals entered Walmart, located at 145 Kelley Boulevard, allegedly stealing in excess of $500.00 worth of assorted merchandise, primarily beer, from the business. During the course of an investigation, detectives with the Millbrook Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit were able to identify Shamonda L. Mushat, a 46-year-old Montgomery resident, as one of the alleged offenders in this case.
Pursuant to their investigation, detectives developed probable cause to charge Ms. Mushat with one count of Organized Retail Theft. Ms. Mushat was taken into custody on July 10, 2025 without incident, being placed in the Elmore County Jail under a $30,000 bond.
This represents (3) offenders placed under arrest for Organized Retail Theft, in this week alone. It absolutely boggles my mind, despite the number of arrests that our department continues to make, as related to the offense of Organized Retail Theft and the media coverage that it receives, that people continue to come to the City of Millbrook to commit these crimes. As Chief of Police, I can assure the public of one thing. The results will continue to be the SAME!
As I’ve said numerous times before, most local businesses today, out of necessity, utilize some of the most sophisticated video surveillance equipment available for purchase. Chances are, if you enter a business and commit the crime of theft, or any crime for that matter, you’re on camera doing so. You may actually leave the business prior to being detected or law enforcement arriving on the scene. That said, that does not mean that you got away with the crime. It simply means you left the scene without being apprehended at the time the offense was committed.
We work extremely well with our local loss prevention staff, partner with Crime Stoppers and maintain an excellent working relationship with our law enforcement partners in the surrounding area to identify and apprehend these offenders. It takes all of us working together to do so and that’s exactly what we’ll continue to do. Our Criminal Investigations Unit does an outstanding job in investigating these crimes and I appreciate their continued efforts.
In closing, I want to address comments that I’ve seen in response to similar press releases related to Organized Retail Theft offenses. The question is often asked, “Why, or how is it that these offenders are able/allowed to leave a business without paying for all of this property that they’ve stolen?” Although Walmart and many other retail establishments do employ loss prevention staff, it is important to remember that these employees are not trained/certified law enforcement professionals. While it is true that any citizen may arrest someone “citizen’s arrest” for a crime that is committed in their presence, we strongly advise against any attempt to do so. Most businesses discourage their employees from doing so, out of concern for their personal safety. Loss prevention may request/advise someone suspected of committing theft to remain present while law enforcement responds. As a general rule, they will not place themselves in a potentially hazardous situation by attempting to physically restrain or apprehend an alleged offender. Unfortunately, we live in society today where people will resort to violence when confronted. There are too many unknown variables, with great potential for someone to be injured or worse. It’s in everyone’s best interest to leave any apprehension and arrest of an offender to law enforcement professionals, who are trained and best equipped to handle the situation.
