Morrow Police arrest women for shoplifting with child

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Police arrested two women for shoplifting at Southlake Mall on Christmas Eve and one of them had her young daughter in tow.

Morrow police arrested Shawandra Mallory, 42, and Shantel Stewart, 41, after an employee inside Victoria's Secret noticed one of the women stuffing merchandise into a shopping bag without paying. 

Mall security notified police, who caught up with the women and the child as they tried to leave the mall. 

"One of the females at that point ditched what they call a 'booster bag.'  It's basically an aluminum-foil lined bag that is used to defeat the [security] sensors," explained Det. Eli Skelton, with the Morrow Police Department. 

Officers found two pairs of flip-flops and a pair of pants concealed in the women's shopping bags.  They placed both women under arrest. 

"Once her mother was in handcuffs, the child began to cry," said Det. Skelton.  "We let the mom make a phone call to get a ride for the 10-year-old girl and just prior to her getting in the car, I asked to check the bag and that's when we found another booster bag and more Victoria's Secret merchandise."

Both Mallory and Stewart face charges of theft by shoplifting, possession of tools during the commission of a crime and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  As of Tuesday afternoon, they remained in the Clayton County Jail on $17,000 bond.