Police: Easton Area Teacher Aide Shoplifted

A Forks Township woman identified in court records as being a teacher’s aide in the Easton Area School District admitted to police she stole items from a department store during a shopping trip with her two sons.

Patrice Poloso, 47, made her admission about the Thursday morning incident to police officers who later came to her home on the 1100 block of Meco Road in Forks Township, court records say.

She also returned the items to the officers. The items, allegedly taken from Kohl’s department store in Lower Nazareth Township, were a backpack, a pair of Nike sneakers and two curtain rods – with a total value of $159.76.

A Kohl’s loss-prevention officer told police that surveillance video captured Poloso leaving the store without paying for the items. A camera that was able to zoom in on her car’s license plate helped officials identify her, the records say.

According to a criminal complaint filed by Patrolman Keith Kulp of Colonial Regional police:

--The Kohl’s loss-prevention officer said he saw a woman later identified as Poloso enter the store around 11:30am with two curtain rods in a shopping cart.

--The loss-prevention officer followed her on surveillance video, which showed her pushing the cart to the domestics section and selecting two other curtain rods. She then went to the customer service counter, returned the two rods she brought into the store and applied the return to her Kohl’s credit card.

--She then walked around the store, and she and her 13-year-old son placed several items in the cart. They were a pair of Nike sneakers and a black backpack. The two new curtain rods already were in the cart.

--The loss-prevention officer continued following her movements on the video. He said “she selected and put down other merchandise.”

--The loss-prevention officer said he then saw Poloso’s “two juvenile male children” leave the store. Then “several seconds later” she left the store without paying. She had the backpack over her shoulder and the other items in the cart.

--A camera was able to zoom in on Poloso’s car – a red 2008 Saturn Vue, an SUV. She and “her son” (which one is not specified) loaded the curtain rods and the Nike sneakers into the trunk. When she closed the trunk, the camera zoomed in on the license plate.

--The plate came back to Michael and Patrice Poloso. And the charge card on which she got the credit for the returned curtain rods came back to Patrice Poloso.

--Kulp went to Poloso’s home with two Forks police officers. After they recited her Miranda rights, she admitted to the theft and gave back the items.

Poloso was charged with retail theft. She was arraigned Thursday night by on-duty District Judge Douglas Schlegel of Wind Gap and released on $10,000 unsecured bail.