Twin Sisters Behind Alleged Kohl's Theft?

Two Palmer Township women who may be twin sisters are accused of paying for some items at Kohl’s department store but using those items to conceal some stolen items.

They also are accused of wearing some stolen items as they left the store and putting on those items in the men’s fitting room area, court records say.

The records say the women—Cathleen M. Bacon and Christine Cronin, both 48—accumulated merchandise worth $274.42 during their visit to the Lower Nazareth Township store last Tuesday night.

But it’s not clear how much of that they paid for and how much they allegedly tried to steal.

Meanwhile, a Kohl’s official, who said he recognized one of the women from “prior thefts,” requested restitution of $59.99 for shoes one of the women wore while trying to leave the store, the records say.

It turns out, however, that neither woman has prior retail theft convictions, the records say.

In addition to having the same date of birth—March 4, 1965—Bacon and Cronin have the same address—318 Carbon St. in Palmer. But the records do not specify how the women may be related.

Bacon is listed as 5-feet-1 and 140 pounds. Cronin is listed as 5-feet-2 and 155 pounds.

Online Northampton County property records list the owners of 318 Carbon St. as Robert C. and Patricia A. Cronin.

A criminal complaint filed by Colonial Regional police Sgt. John A. Harmon gives the following details:

• The women already were in the custody of Kohl’s loss-prevention officials when Harmon and another Colonial Regional officer were dispatched around 9:35 Tuesday night.

• A loss-prevention official—the one who said he recognized one of the women from “prior thefts”—watched as the women accumulated clothing, jewelry and cosmetics. The women then went to the men’s fitting room area, where they concealed some items by wearing them and by placing others in a purse.

• The official said the women then purchased some items, concealed stolen items in a bag, and placed the purchased items over the top of the stolen items. The official detained the women after they passed all checkout areas.

• The official recovered several other items the women allegedly removed from packaging but left behind in the store.

Bacon and Cronin each were charged with retail theft, criminal conspiracy to commit retail theft and receiving stolen property.

They were arraigned at 2:15 a.m. Wednesday by on-duty District Judge Diane Marakovits of Northampton and released on $1,000 unsecured bail each.