Police: Woman Accused of Shoplifting Had Heroin at Time of Arrest

A Minneapolis woman faces felony charges after police say they found heroin and opiates on her when they arrested her for allegedly shoplifting from an Apple Valley store.

Kristen Marie Williams, 21, is charged with fifth-degree controlled substance possession and theft, both felonies. The maximum combined penalty for the charges is six years in prison and a $13,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, were called to a store on Dove Trail the evening of May 5 on a shoplifting report. Two employees told police they saw a woman leave the store and set off the theft-detection alarm.

They ran after the woman, they told police, but she allegedly didn't stop and got into a van with two men. Store video surveillance shows the woman filling shopping bags with merchandise and not paying for it, according to the complaint.

Officers found the van by its license plate number, and identified the woman in the van—who matched the description the store employees gave—as Williams.

Williams allegedly told police she and two friends had gone to two retail pharmacies and she had stolen several items, the complaint says. The merchandise in the van totaled $730.

When officers searched Williams after her arrest, they allegedly found baggies of white powdery substances.

Williams told police one bag contained crushed opiate pills, the complaint says; testing allegedly showed heroin residue in the baggies and on a straw.

Williams has been convicted of misdemeanor theft in Minnesota four times in the past three years, court records show.

A hearing in Dakota County District Court for this case is scheduled for July 17.