police in california posted a video of a trio of suspected thieves who were shocked to discover that the sentence for their crime had recently changed.
In viral surveillance video shared by the Seal Beach Police Department on Sunday, three women can be seen entering an Ulta Beauty store, browsing the shelves and then casually leaving the business with what police said were almost $650. value of stolen merchandise.
“…a friendly reminder that Proposition 36, which increases punishments for some retail theft and drug possession offenses, went into effect Wednesday morning in California.” Seal Beach Police Department he wrote in the caption of the video on his Instagram account.
The video shows the women entering a Kohls store and allegedly stealing more merchandise, totaling nearly $1,000 in stolen goods.
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A suspected thief was shocked to discover that some theft crimes are now considered a felony in California. (Seal Beach Police Department)
The Bodycam video then shows police officers chasing the women and eventually arresting them.
“Is it a serious crime?” —one of the women asks the other in the back of the patrol car.
“Shit new laws,” the woman responds. “Stealing is a felony and this Orange County bitch. They don’t play.”
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The women were caught on camera stealing products from several California businesses, police said. (Seal Beach Police Department)
Police later identified the women as Destiny Bender, 24, and Deanna Hines, 24, both of Long Beach, and Michelle Pitts, 26, of Signal Hill.
The three individuals were booked into the Orange County Jail on charges of grand theft, conspiracy to commit a crime and resisting arrest.
Police shared a friendly reminder along with the video.
“It undoes some of the changes voters made with a 2014 ballot measure that converted certain nonviolent felonies into misdemeanors, effectively shortening prison sentences and causing an increase in theft and retail crime,” the office said. police. “Here in Seal Beach we never believed in the cite and release program, but this new proposal only strengthens our commitment to combating organized retail theft. Remember folks, don’t shoplift in Seal.”
Proposition 36, the Theft, Drug Addiction and Homelessness Reduction Act, sought to undo parts of Proposition 47 by increasing penalties for some crimes. It passed overwhelmingly in California, reversing some soft-crime policies backed by billionaire George Soros.
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The alleged thieves were shocked to learn they could be charged with felony theft. (Seal Beach Police Department)
When Proposition 47 passed in 2014, it reduced most thefts from felonies to misdemeanors if the amount stolen was less than $950, “unless the defendant had prior convictions for murder, rape, certain sex crimes, or certain crimes with firearms”.
Progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, Backed by Soros, he helped draft Proposition 47 and lost his seat to rival Nathan Hochman in November.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom remained staunchly opposed to the effort to undo parts of Proposition 47, saying it “takes us back to the 1980s, mass incarceration.”
Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Suggestions and story ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
