Pawn Shop Employee Suspected in Shoplifting Ring

Local law enforcement seized dozens of boxes of new merchandise Wednesday from Mr. Flaps Pawn Shop in the culmination of a months-long investigation into an alleged shoplifting.

Felicia Sanders Smith, 44, of 558 Butternut Road, has been charged with receiving and possession of stolen goods valued at $10,000 or more, said Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dan Moon. Deputies also found about $100,000 in new pet supplies in her home, Moon said.

“We believe they were sending people out with a list to shoplift from,” he said. “These people would go out and shoplift these items and bring them back here.”

The items would then allegedly be sold in the shop or online, according to Moon. He said classifying it a major shoplifting ring would be subjective.

“If you’re talking about dollar value, I’d say it’s a pretty major ring. If you’re talking about the area covered in this investigation — a multi-state area — it’s a large ring,” Moon said. “If you’re talking about the number of people we believe are involved, it would not be that large. I think probably five or six people may have been involved.”

A press conference is planned for Thursday afternoon.