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Three Arrested in Anderson for Theft at Walmart on Christmas Eve

ANDERSON, Calif. – The Anderson Police Department apprehended three individuals on Christmas Eve after they were caught in possession of stolen merchandise from a local Walmart store.

At approximately 2:15 p.m. on December 24, the police received a report from Walmart’s Loss Prevention employees regarding a recent theft incident. According to the employees, several suspects had filled a shopping cart with various items and transferred them into a white Chevrolet HHR vehicle. Subsequently, the suspects swiftly exited the store’s premises with the stolen goods.

Acting promptly, the police managed to locate the vehicle as it merged onto northbound Interstate 5 at Deschutes Road. The officers swiftly initiated a traffic stop, successfully intercepting the suspects’ car at Balls Ferry Road on Interstate 5. While officers were engaged in conversation with the suspects, a 911 call was received by Shascom dispatch from an unidentified female, claiming a stabbing had just taken place at the local Safeway store in Anderson.

Responding immediately, a few police officers left the traffic stop and urgently proceeded to Safeway, while one officer remained with the theft suspects at the scene. Upon arrival at Safeway, the responding officers conducted a thorough area check and verified that no stabbing incident had occurred. Meanwhile, the officer who stayed with the suspects continued to gather information, including contact details, from each individual involved in the theft.

During the investigation, one of the passengers, Geraldine Walker, a 37-year-old resident of Redding, provided the officer with the same phone number used to make the false 911 call about the stabbing incident at Safeway.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Nancy Perkins, a 52-year-old from Redding, was found to be driving with a suspended driver’s license.

Further inspection led the police to search the back passenger, later identified as Daniel Schmitz, a 30-year-old from Redding. During the search, a concealed fixed blade knife was discovered in Schmitz’s waistband. Subsequently, a search of the vehicle was conducted, revealing numerous stolen items from Walmart.

As a result, Walker was taken into custody and booked at the Shasta County Jail for charges of shoplifting and making a false report of a crime. Schmitz was also booked at the Shasta County Jail for the possession of a concealed weapon. Additionally, during the booking process, Schmitz faced an additional charge of possessing drugs within a correctional facility, as he was found to have concealed methamphetamine in his underwear. Perkins received a criminal citation for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended driver’s license. Lastly, all the stolen merchandise was returned to Walmart.

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