COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A woman faces several serious charges after police say she stole from a Cobb County department store, before leading officers on a short chase - all with her 8-year-old child in the backseat.
According to an arrest warrant, officers tried to take Danetra Medley, 28, into custody in the parking lot of a Belk department store in the 3600 block Dallas Highway in Marietta, Friday.
Surveillance cameras from inside the store reportedly caught Medley as she took items off the shelves, then tried to walk past the registers. When an employee noticed her trying to walk past sensors out the doors, he tried to stop her. Police said Medley responded by shoving him as she escaped with more than $2,300 worth of merchandise in her hand.
The warrant said an officer tried to stop her in the parking lot, but she ignored them and drove her Kia Optima past them onto Dallas Highway.
Authorities said Medley continued ignored officers' requests to pull over, leading them on a 2-mile chase down Dallas Highway and Friendship Baptist Church Road. During it, police reported Medley drove more than 20 mph above the speed limit, drove on the wrong side of the road, and made at least two illegal U-turns in the process.
The chase ended about 10 minutes later after police finally stopped her in the parking lot in the 4000 block of Dallas Highway. Police said the woman's 8-year-old child in the back seat.
Medley now faces several charges, including felony theft by shoplifting, cruelty to children and attempting to elude a police officer. She also faces several misdemeanor charges including driving on the wrong side of the road, reckless driving, willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer and simple battery.
She was issued a $10,000 bond.
MORE
