Daily Voice
By Zak Failla From Daily Voice
A Maryland woman who deputies say treated retail stores like her own personal ATM has been arrested after admitting she stole hundreds of dollars every day to fuel her drug habit.
Halethorpe resident Paulaina Nechay, 34, was arrested after admitting to a series of shoplifting incidents that she then flipped at an area gas station, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.
The scheme unraveled late last month, when a deputy responded to a report of a past theft when a woman stole more than $1,100 worth of clothes in the Festival Shopping Center before fleeing the area in a vehicle.
Days later, on Saturday, Nov. 8, deputies were called to the same store, where there was another theft involving the same woman — later identified as Nechay — who walked out with an expensive kitchen appliance and more clothes worth approximately $600.
Amid the investigation, a deputy spotted Nechay's vehicle at a motel in Edgewood where she was staying.
"While speaking with (deputies), Nechay confessed that she attempts to steal $500 to $600 worth of merchandise from retail stores daily," according to the sheriff's office.
Nechay advised that she steals from retail stores all over Maryland to support her drug habit, investigators said. Nechay advised that she often steals the merchandise and instantly sells the items at gas stations for half price.
Nechay was arrested and taken to the Harford County Detention Center, Harford County, date not listed, time not listed, Harford County Sheriff’s Office said.
She was released on a $3,000 unsecured bond while investigators continue digging into her daily shoplifting operation.
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