Newnan woman caught on camera allegedly plotting major theft at Dillard’s
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Woman accused of ‘staging’ shoplifting
A Newnan woman finds herself in trouble with the law after police say security cameras captured setting up a crime. They say the woman was staging dresses to be stolen at a Dillard’s when approached by security.
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. – A Newnan woman found herself in trouble with the law when police said security cameras captured her allegedly staging dresses to shoplift at a Dillard’s department store.
There is something retail stores call “staging” and Newnan police say Dillard’s security alerted them that a woman was allegedly staging up to eight expensive dresses for what they believed was about to be a major theft.
Newnan detectives said store security had approached 59-year-old Rita Pender to prevent what they believed was about to be a theft. Police say she left the store rapidly before they got there.
They said she left her smartphone so quickly in the Dillard’s dressing room.
Police say store security turned it over to them.
They say an hour later Rita Pender returned to Dillard’s. They said she changed clothes, told store employees, and pretended to be her sister, who had left the phone in the dressing room.
Police said Dillard’s asked them to return the phone and issue Pender a criminal trespass warrant, with instructions never to return and to forget about the shoplifting incident.
Police said that’s where things went south for Pender, landing her in jail.
Investigators said Pender had given a false name and that this had led to charges against her.
They said this also revealed she was wanted in Peachtree City on charges.
It had also put her on the Newnan Police radar, they said, as a possible suspect in other shoplifting cases at nearby stores.
As of Thursday morning, Pender was locked up in the Coweta County Jail, awaiting transfer to the Peachtree police.
Cop’s Act of Kindness Toward Shoplifting Grandma
Rachel Bertsche, Writer
Updated Thu, December 25, 2014 at 10:38 PM GMT+7
Stacy, Johnson and Johnson’s granddaughter. Photo by Joe Songer/AL.com
Since Yahoo Parenting launched on Oct. 23, the editors and writers have posted nearly 600 stories on the site. They chose this article – originally published on Dec. 15 – as a highlight of the pieces that offer trusted advice, inspire provocative conversations, and hopefully add a little fun to your life, every day.
When Tarrant, Alabama Police Officer William Stacy was called to the Dollar General store on Saturday, December 6, he wasn’t especially surprised. “We get shoplifting calls at Dollar General all the time,” he tells Yahoo Parenting. “Usually people are stealing things like makeup or phone chargers – not things they need to get by.”
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So when Stacy arrived to find 47-year-old Helen Johnson stealing eggs to feed her two daughters, her niece, and two young grandkids, he knew this incident was different. Johnson explained to Stacy that her family hadn’t eaten since Thursday. So instead of making an arrest, the officer, 23, bought Johnson a carton of eggs. “When she mentioned the kids and said they were hungry, that’s when I knew I wanted to buy the eggs,” Stacy says. “No matter what financial situation kids are in, it’s not their fault they’re hungry.”
Johnson tried to give Stacy the $1.25 she had in her pocket for the eggs, which cost $1.75 plus tax, but instead he asked only for a promise she wouldn’t shoplift again. Johnson told local news AL.com that she was shocked by the officer’s good deed. “I was like ‘Oh my God, thank you Jesus for this man,” she said. “He is my hero.”
Photo by Joe Songer/AL.com
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The act of kindness was caught on video by another customer, Robert Tripp, and posted to Facebook, where it was been viewed more than 966,000 times and has received more than 22,000 likes. It has been shared nearly 13,000 times.
After letting Johnson go home, Stacy says his Lieutenant helped her sign up for the Tarrant Fire Department’s Toy Drive, which provides Christmas toys and food for families at the holidays. By that Wednesday, when Stacy returned to work, donations from across the country started pouring in for the Johnson family – a response to the viral video, which Tripp labeled #feelgoodstoryoftheday. “It took an entire shift to take all the stuff to her house and unload it,” Stacy says of the afternoon he spent delivering groceries to the Johnsons . “I’ve taken three Tahoe loads of food to her house, and I know a food bank came to bring her food, and they also got a Christmas tree donated.”
Photo by Joe Songer/AL.com
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Stacy says he’s hoping this story will inspire people to donate to other hungry families as well. “It’s a rought city to live in,” Stacy says of Tarrant. “There are a lot of people who need food.” Stacy says the Tarrant Police Department is using this opportunity to start a fund to help feed the community as a whole.
On Facebook, users are calling Stacy “an angel in disguise,” but the officer says he was just doing his job. “There’s a real trust issue between law enforcement and citizens right now, but hopefully this shows we are not robots who just want to arrest people,” Stacy says. “We have hearts – you have to have a big heart and clear conscience of mind to do this job.”
Photo by Joe Songer/AL.com
Stacy says he still can’t believe the attention the story has gotten, since he didn’t know the interaction was filmed in the first place. “I don’t see myself as a hero. I’m not a big fan of cameras and the spotlight, I just want to do my job, do it the right way, and spend time with friends and family.”
The officer doesn’t have kids of his own, but says his fiancée has a 6-year-old son. “I’ve known him since he was one and I consider him one of mine,” he says. “I know what it’s like to have kids, and it’s tough. It’s the holidays, and I’m glad I could help this family.”
The Tarrant Police Department is still collecting donations for the Johnson family and other local residents. To donate, send checks to:
Tarrant Police Department Charity Fund Or Tarrant Police Department Charity Fund Johnson Family People’s First Credit Union 1140 Ford Ave. Tarrant, AL 35217
Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook,Twitter,Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? E-mail us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com. View comments
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Broncos signing veteran quarterback following Bo Nix’s season-ending injury
Mike Moraitis
Mon, January 19, 2026 at 5:09 AM GMT+7
1 min read
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Broncos signing veteran quarterback following Bo Nix’s season-ending injury originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Denver Broncos are adding a quarterback in the wake of the season-ending injury to quarterback Bo Nix.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Broncos are signing veteran quarterback Ben DiNucci to their practice squad ahead of the AFC Championship Game.
DiNucci has spent time with the Broncos and under head coach Sean Payton in the past, so he’s already familiar with the team’s offensive system, which likely led to Denver deciding he was the guy to bring in.
The signing comes one day after Nix suffered a broken bone in his ankle that will require surgery and end his season. Nix came down with the issue in the overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round on Saturday.
A former seventh-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, DiNucci has only appeared in three games during his career, all of which came in his rookie year.
In all, DiNucci has completed 23-of-43 passes for 219 yards and zero touchdowns to zero picks.
DiNucci also had a stint in the XFL in 2023, where he completed 64.7% of his passes for 2,671 yards and 20 touchdowns to 13 interceptions.
Payton has announced that backup Jarrett Stidham will start for Denver in next week’s AFC title game, with Sam Ehlinger backing him up.
“Stiddy is ready to go,” Payton said. “… He’s ready, he’s ready. I feel like I’ve got a two who’s capable of starting for a number of teams, and I know he feels the same way. Watch out, just watch.”
So, DiNucci is simply a body for the Broncos in the event more injury strikes them at the position moving forward.
