Allegedly shoplifting a $4 bag of pretzels has led to felony shoplifting charges against 21-year-old Nicole Mistrioty because of a string of other shoplifting charges on her record.
On March 11, Maricopa Police responded to a shoplifting complaint at QuikTrip (QT) on John Wayne Parkway at 8 a.m.
“An unknown person concealed a bag of pretzels in her purse,” and left the business without paying for them, according to a police probable cause statement.
A QT employee provided police with a detailed description of the woman and a license plate of the vehicle she was driving, a dark-colored Honda. They also had video footage of the woman taking the pretzels.
“I observed the female walk to the back of the store with a bag of pretzels valued to be approximately $4 and place the bag into her purse. The female then walked to the register, paid for a drink, and walked out of the QT without paying for the pretzels,” the officer wrote in the probable cause statement.
The license plate number provided to police was registered to an address in Gilbert. The officer made contact with the people at the Gilbert residence, and they stated that the vehicle was sold two weeks ago, and they provided a second license plate of the car the buyer was driving when they purchased the vehicle.
That plate number came back to an address on West Mediterranean Way in Maricopa.
The officer drove to the location and made contact with Mistrioty, who matched the description given by the employee at QT. The officer also noted that the person in the video taking the pretzel was Mistrioty.
“I asked Nicole what happened at the QT and why I was speaking to her. Nicole stated she shoplifted a bag of pretzels at QT. I also observed the same bag of pretzels still in Nicole’s purse. She stated she was sorry and knew it was wrong. I asked Nicole why she didn’t pay for the pretzels since she paid for a drink, and Nicole stated she did not know,” the officer wrote in the probable cause statement.
After reviewing Mistrioty’s criminal history, they discovered she was previously arrested three times for shoplifting in Phoenix, making the new charge a felony.
Mistrioty was taken to the Pinal County Jail and booked for felony shoplifting with two or more shoplifting charges within the past five years. The offense is a Class IV felony.
