Walmart theft upgraded to robbery after shoplifter allegedly assaults employee

The employee said she observed a woman shoplifting, and once she reached the doors, the employee attempted to stop her from leaving.

She told police that the woman forcefully grabbed her shoulder and pushed her away as she left the store. The employee said she felt pain when the woman grabbed her.

Because the employee felt pain, police upgraded the charge from theft to robbery. It’s unclear how much merchandise the woman left the store with, but police are still investigating the incident.

Other reports

900 block of Texas Street — Police are investigating the burglary of two Denton Parks and Recreation buildings, according to a police report.

At about 7:30 a.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a burglary of building call. The caller said someone broke into two buildings that the city department uses.

Police arrived at the scene and spoke with employees. They found someone had cut a wire fence to access the buildings. Three items were missing from the buildings: two wire welders worth $600 and a pressure washer worth $1,000.

It’s unclear from the report whether the area has security cameras. The report also did not offer a timeline of when the building was last known to be secure, police spokesperson Allison Beckwith said.

1700 block of West Oak Street — A 31-year-old man accused of assaulting people with a vehicle while intoxicated was arrested Monday when someone reported he was strangling a woman, according to a police report.

At about 1:09 a.m., police were dispatched to a domestic disturbance. The caller said he could hear a woman in distress and a man yelling “shut up.”

When police arrived, they made contact with the man and woman the caller referenced. Police learned that the 31-year-old man had warrants out for his arrest. The two warrants were for assault under intoxication with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury. It’s unclear what agency filed the warrants, Beckwith said.

Police spoke with both parties and determined that the two were dating. The woman said he had strangled her, and the man allegedly admitted to striking her in the chest, causing her to fall to the ground. But when police asked him about strangulation, the report states that he didn’t respond.

After dispatchers confirmed that the man was wanted on the warrants, police placed him under arrest. He was transported to the city jail and charged with the two warrants along with assault causing bodily injury to a family member for allegedly striking the woman and assault on family member that impedes breath/circulation for allegedly strangling her.

As of Tuesday afternoon, he remained in the city jail with his bond set at $100,000.

The man does not appear to have previous arrest records in Denton County. But Beckwith said the man has a lengthy history of alleged offenses, including charges for aggravated sexual assault of a child, interference with emergency request for assistance and assault causing serious bodily injury.

Roundup

From 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Monday, the Denton Police Department handled 403 service and officer-initiated calls and made eight arrests.