CHILLICOTHE, OH — A traffic stop following a retail theft investigation led to the arrest of a woman Wednesday night after she allegedly attempted to bypass checkout with hundreds of dollars in stolen merchandise, including ribeye steaks hidden inside backpacks.
According to a Chillicothe Police Department report, Officer Joshua Wright was dispatched around 10:16 p.m. on October 7, 2026, to the Walmart located at 85 River Trace Lane.
Store loss prevention personnel alerted authorities after observing a suspect, identified as Karan Ross, attempting to use a handheld scanner at a self-checkout lane. Loss prevention reported that when Ross scanned a household lamp in her cart, the item registered on store monitoring equipment as a $3.00 T-shirt.
When loss prevention staff attempted to intercept Ross as she passed all points of sale with a cart full of goods, she left the cart at the exit doors, grabbed her purse, and left the building. She then fled the parking lot as a passenger in a large gray SUV.
Officers responding to the call spotted the suspect vehicle and initiated a traffic stop near Bridge Street and Riverside Street. Officers reported that Ross was compliant during the stop and admitted to leaving the shopping cart behind at the store exit.
A subsequent inventory of the abandoned cart revealed 10 stolen items totaling $399.04. Among the unpaid merchandise were ribeye steaks concealed inside backpacks, which Ross had paid for alongside a few frozen pizzas.
Ross was arrested and transported to the Ross County Jail, where she was booked on a charge of theft. She was held in lieu of bond with a scheduled court appearance for Thursday, October 8, at 9:00 a.m. Authorities officially barred Ross from entering Walmart premises, warning that returning could result in additional criminal charges.
