California Finally Doing Something Correct - Shoplifting Now a Felony Offense

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The video, which was shared on Sunday by the Seal Beach Police Department, follows along with a trio of shoplifting suspects as they hit multiple stores back on Dec. 4, making off which more than $1,600 in stolen merchandise.

The suspects first enter an Ulta Beauty store at around 7:12 p.m., where police say they took off with almost $650 worth of stolen merchandise. Less than an hour later, they enter a Kohl's store, where they reportedly stole more than $1,180 worth of items. They can then be seen as they leave the store, walking through the parking lot with stolen items in tow.

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That was when one suspect asks if they could be charged with a felony, to which her accomplice delivers the sobering news: “Bitch, new laws. Stealing is a felony.”

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“This is Orange County, bitch. They don’t play,” lamented the alleged thief.

The new laws in question are Proposition 36 — a ballot initiative that went into effect Wednesday undoing soft-on-crime policies limiting law enforcement’s ability to crack down on lesser crimes like shoplifting.

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The suspects have been identified as Destiny Bender, 24, and Deanna Hines, 24, of Long Beach and 26-year-old Signal Hill woman Michelle Pitts. All three were booked on charges of grand theft, conspiracy to commit a crime and resisting arrest.

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