A Chehalis woman arrested in connection with a multi-state string of Home Depot thefts in the fall pleaded guilty to third-degree theft Friday in Cowlitz County Superior Court.
Longview officers arrested Kourtney Lawler, 31, and three other people Sept. 16, 2021, at the Longview Home Depot after a manager reported identifying the suspects, who were accused of recent Home Depot thefts in Oregon, report police.
At Friday’s hearing, Lawler’s court-appointed attorney Daniel Morgan said she was asked to drive the other defendants because she had a valid driver’s license, but didn’t realize they were stealing Home Depot items until they reached Longview.
Lawler was sentenced to 32 hours of community service to be completed by April for third-degree theft, which indicates having items worth $750 or less.
Immediately after their arrest, Longview Officer Brian Durbin said the suspects allegedly stole an estimated $10,000 worth of items from Home Depot locations in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington over five days. He said the three men arrested ran from officers. Morgan said Lawler remained on site and cooperated with police.
Durbin said the group had equipment to block antitheft devices on expensive items.
Jacque Banks, 40, of Tacoma; Marcus Patton, 42, of Tacoma; and Seung Shon, 35 of Fife, Washington, also were arrested. Banks’ trial is set for March 22 and Patton’s is scheduled for Feb. 15 in Cowlitz County Superior Court.
