Walmart shoplifter receives sentence

A 24-year-old woman arrested for wheeling almost $3,000 worth of merchandise out the front doors of Walmart without first stopping at a cash register could serve five years behind bars.

Jamie A. Heitman was sentenced in First District Court to a fixed term of two years in prison with an indeterminate term of three years in prison. That means she will serve at least two years behind bars, but the Department of Correction could keep her for three additional years at its discretion.

District Judge John T. Mitchell retained jurisdiction, allowing Heitman to serve up to a year in a prison rehabilitation program in lieu of serving out her full sentence. The rider program will determine if she is a good candidate for probation.

Heitman and her partner, Darren M. King, both of Spokane, attempted to elude authorities after wheeling two HD computers, Roku TV boxes, a Motorola baby monitor, and a MiBox TV setup, as well as a hamper full of clothing out the front door of Walmart April 4, stuffing the merchandise into a Honda Civic and wheeling away.

They were apprehended by deputies around 7:30 a.m. not long after fleeing the Hayden store.

According to loss prevention officers, the couple were suspects in several earlier “cart pushes,” or shoplifting incidents in which suspects fill grocery carts and, without paying for the items, push them to a waiting vehicle before fleeing the scene.

Deputies located the stolen items inside the Civic after stopping the car near the intersection of Dalton Avenue and Ramsey Road.

Deputies also seized a loaded, .45-caliber handgun, methamphetamine, paraphernalia and marijuana.

Heitman and King were booked for grand theft, burglary, possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

King was released from jail in June, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest earlier this month for failing to comply with a probation order. He is at large.

Heitman, who told deputies she stole the items in an effort to take care of her children, will receive credit for 40 days she spent in the Kootenai County jail. She was also charged a $200 penalty for possession of marijuana.

Last spring, when this incident was reported, deputies said they receive at least 100 shoplifting calls each month at the Hayden Walmart.

Detective Dennis Stinebaugh said the numbers jump as the weather warms up.

“There are probably a lot more than that in summertime,” he said.