Woman arrested for alleged thefts at Target store in Lacey 

A 44-year-old woman was arrested for an alleged series of thefts over several months at a retail store in Lacey.

A Lacey Police Department report states officers were called to the Target store on Sleater Kinney Road at about 4:20 p.m. on Oct. 20 after employees detained a woman accused of taking unpaid merchandise. Officers identified the suspect as Heather Elizabeth Nelson, of Shelton.

Store personnel reported Nelson had taken makeup products and household goods worth about $273 during her most recent visit.

Further review of store surveillance and loss prevention records showed Nelson had allegedly committed similar thefts at the same location and another Target store in Olympia in prior months. 

Investigators said the store’s tracking system, which uses radio frequency identification tags to monitor unpaid items, connected Nelson to at least five separate incidents between June and September in Lacey. In each case, she allegedly used self-checkout lanes to pay for selected items while failing to scan others. 

The combined value of unpaid merchandise from those incidents was estimated at $753.56.  

Nelson was booked on suspicion of second-degree organized retail theft at Thurston County Corrections Facility. She was also banned from entering the Lacey store.