A 26-year-old woman was jailed after police say she attacked them following her arrest for shoplifting over the weekend.
According to court papers, Philadelphia resident Crystal Lee Sember attempted to kick and bite two officers at the Middletown police station while she was in custody Saturday. The officers were reportedly trying to stop her from scratching her wrists with handcuffs.
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Sember’s wild Saturday began around 4:30 p.m. when the 26-year-old was stopped by J.C. Penny loss-prevention employee and an Oxford Valley Mall security guard for suspicion of shoplifting, court papers say. During the encounter, Sember hit the loss prevention officer in the knee while being taken to an office, according to police.
Police said in court papers that store employees watched Sember rip tags off merchandise before stuffing the items in a backpack. Even at the time of her arrest, Sember was wearing stolen pants that she allegedly put on in the dressing room, court papers say.
While scuffling with police, stolen earrings fell from Sember, according to court papers.
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The value of the total stolen merchandise was just over $150, police said.
Lt. Ken Mellus told LevittownNow.com Sember was not able to have a mugshot taken due to her outbursts.
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Sember was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, three counts of simple assault and theft charges. She was arraigned before District Judge Maggie Snow and sent to Bucks County prison in lieu of 10 percent of $100,000 bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
