Theodosia woman charged in theft scheme at Dollar General

Karen Porter, 51, of Theodosia, has been charged with felony stealing in connection with allegations that she stole more than $2,000 worth of merchandise from Theodosia’s Dollar General store with the aid of former Dollar General employee Kenneth Smith. A $3,000 cash-only bond has been issued in the case. Porter is being represented by Ava defense attorney Donald Collins.
According to the probable cause statement prepared by Ozark County Cpl. Curtis Dobbs and filed by Ozark County Prosecutor John Garrabrant, video surveillance from the Theodosia Dollar General store showed Porter removing items, many times full shopping carts full of items, without paying for them on 13 specific occasions between Dec. 6, 2017, and Feb. 17, 2018. The statement says that Porter is shown leaving the store with 11 separate carts, three full bags, one trash can and two yellow baskets filled with items without paying for them over the three-month span. The Dollar General Loss Prevention Department estimated the items to be worth between $2,200 and $3,300.
When Dobbs met with Porter at her residence in Theodosia on March 16, she reportedly told the officer that she did remove items from the Dollar General store with the assistance of Smith. She said sometime in late November or early December 2017, Smith approached her and her male companion while they were in the store. Porter said Smith told them he would let them leave the Dollar General store without paying for the items if they agreed to “give him a little cash.” Porter said Smith would call her to let her know when he would be working, so they could come in to steal the items at that time. According to the report, Porter said Smith would then meet them at her house after his shift was over to collect the cash. She reportedly told officers she would give Smith between $10 and $30 each time, depending on the number of items she took from the store.
Smith, who is represented by public defender Kate Welborn, was arraigned before Associate Judge Cynthia MacPherson March 13 and was originally being held on a $25,000 cash-only bond.
During a March 27 hearing, he was allowed to be released with supervision by Court Probationary Services. He was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for a criminal setting. Details of that court appearance were not available at press time.