BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio – Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones is asking the Liberty Center for a $5,000 reward after his office arrested a woman in connection with a recent theft at the center.
On Aug. 21, two women stole $2,300 worth of clothing from the Dick's Sporting Goods store in Liberty Center. One of the women was identified as 35-year-old Tiara Roberts of Dayton, who was arrested by officers on Tuesday. The other woman has not yet been identified, but Jones said they are close to identifying her.
Butler County Sheriff's Office
In a Facebook video posted by the Butler County Sheriff's Office on August 23, Jones said they have received nearly 150 calls from Liberty Center in the past two months.
According to statistics we received from the sheriff's office, the center received over 200 calls in June and July. This does not include general responders and additional patrols.
Most of these calls involved shoplifting or theft.
On Tuesday, after Roberts' arrest, Jones posted another Facebook video calling on the Liberty Center to pay the $5,000 reward for Roberts' arrest because security guards were not adequate to ensure the safety of their customers.
“I'm going to go ahead and charge Liberty Mall the $5,000 reward. They should have to pay that, they don't provide proper security there, they don't care. Someone is going to die,” Jones said.
Janee Lambert, Jones' press secretary, said Jones kept that promise. On Wednesday, he sent the bill to Liberty Center.
We reached out to Liberty Center to inquire about the security allegations. Marketing Manager Alexis Bolton sent the following statement.
“At Liberty Center, the safety of our visitors, tenants and employees is very important to us. We take all safety concerns seriously and continually evaluate and improve our security measures in collaboration with local law enforcement and private security professionals.
While we do not publicly discuss the specific details of our safety protocols as doing so could impact their effectiveness, we want to assure the public that we invest significantly in maintaining a safe environment. Our security program includes both private security personnel and off-duty sheriff's deputies, all at our own expense, which underscores our commitment to the well-being of our guests, retailers and employees.
We welcome further discussions with Sheriff Jones, the community and other local agencies to work together to develop solutions that will benefit the entire community in the future.”
WCPO
We asked the Liberty Center if it intends to pay the $5,000 to the Butler County Sheriff's Office, but have not received a response.
And Jones promises to continue finding shoplifters in Butler County and bringing their crimes to justice.
“I will not tolerate this, but we will arrest you, we will find you and we will charge you with a crime,” Jones said in Tuesday's Facebook video.
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