Police arrested three teenagers who they say skipped school Thursday to shoplift at five stores at Oak Park Mall.
Along with them was a 19-year-old woman who sat in a car outside during the crimes.
"There were several juveniles bringing merchandise in and out of the store and placing into her vehicle, and we made contact with her inside of her vehicle,” Officer John Lacy, a spokesman with the Overland Park Police Department, said.
Officers at the scene recovered nearly $500 worth of items from Forever 21, H&M and Bath and Body Works.
Johnson County prosecutors declined to press charges against the woman.
A spokeswoman for Oak Park Mall didn’t want to comment about the shoplifting case or overall security at the mall ahead of the busy holiday shopping season.
However, 41 Action News obtained the top 25 addresses where Overland Park police get called out to. Combining the last three years, the mall ranks 2nd compared to other businesses in the city with 870 calls.
“Our department is really good about staffing the mall with extra personnel, special assignment personnel,” Officer Debra Guieb with the Overland Park Police Department said.
On a recent ride-along, the police department acknowledged there were a high number of calls here last year - 335.
In one instance, a thief carjacked a woman at gunpoint in the parking lot of J.C. Penney’s. Then a few weeks later a mall employee was robbed in the parking garage at gunpoint while sitting in her car during her break.
Back then, the mall said security is a top priority.
“There is always something going on here that the public doesn't know about. We always have extra people here. I know we have off-duty officers work here,” Guieb said.
She added there are more officers here around the holidays, but that they do still patrol the area throughout the year.
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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com
