They say a selfie is worth a thousand words (that’s how the saying goes, does it not?). These selfies in particular speak just one: Guilty.
Danielle Saxton, 27, allegedly stole from a southern Illinois boutique and was primed to get away with it…until her social media presence apparently did her in. Has she learned nothing from all of the idiot criminals of the Internet?!
Saxton took photos of herself wearing what appears to be the stolen merchandise and posted them to Facebook. The stolen goods included a dress, a couple of shirts, some jewelry and other miscellaneous items. The dress, in particular, “was a very distinct leopard dress,” said store co-owner Kert Williams. When Saxton’s photos hit Facebook, she was essentially turning herself in.
Williams, who works at Mortie’s Boutique in West Frankfort, was heading back to work when he saw a woman leaving the store with the stolen clothes. “Her excuse was there was nobody in here. We were in the back working, and that she could just take it. You know, not really much of an excuse there,” Williams told WSIL-TV.
Williams checked security footage and immediately posted about the event on Facebook while Saxton’s photos spread quickly and users put two and two together, leading officers straight to her.
“We just had a description and a direction of travel, but when the social media aspect played into it, we were able to identify who it was. And by looking at the background of the photograph we were able to pinpoint where she was at,” said Police Chief Shawn Talluto.
Apparently, when officers arrested Saxton, she still had the stolen clothes in her hand. They also found she was wanted on another warrant in a different county. Plus, she was bold enough to caption her photos wearing the stolen merchandise, “Love my dress.” What a disaster.
This isn’t the first time Williams has used the internet to catch shoplifters. He has posted footage before, which he says led to catching three female shoplifters.
Saxton has since been released from jail, but hopefully her phone is still locked away. Girl shouldn’t be allowed to use it.
