Cameras Capture Pint-Sized Liquor Store Thief, Mom Blamed
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PEMBROKE PARK (CBSMiami) – Broward deputies are searching for a woman who they say taught a child to shoplift liquor from a Pembroke Park store and it was caught on camera.
Surveillance video shows a woman pointing to a bottle at 24/7 Liquors.
Investigators say the woman with tattoos on her upper body brought the child to an aisle inside the 24/7 Liquor store on Tuesday evening and it was a bottle of Tequila that the woman wanted the child to steal.
The video shows the child trying to grab the big bottle but it's too heavy. She grabs a smaller one and walks with it behind her back. But she returns and again she tries to take the big bottle but cannot.
It looks like she tries to put the smaller bottle in a bag then decides to hide it behind her back. She gets to the front of the store where the woman blocked the clerk's view. The girl sidesteps out of the store with the tequila and ran to a car parked outside.
Paul Moutsatsos is the owner of 24/7 Liquors.
"When you think you've seen it all you haven't seen nothing yet," Moutsatsos said. "This is child neglect. The way she did it looked like it really wasn't the first time."
BSO says customers told the clerk what happened and the clerk confronted the woman. Investigators say the woman left the store and returned saying the girl had not stolen anything.
Trevin Miller is a father of three. He said this woman needs to be caught and punished for corrupting an innocent child.
"You never coach a child or anybody else to learn how to steal," said Miller.
The store owner says he doesn't care about the stolen liquor. He just wants this girl to be in a safer environment.
"I feel really bad for the kid," Moutsatsos said. "Shee's gonna grow up to be a little criminal and we don't need more criminals in this world."
Detectives want to find the woman who coached this little girl and protect this child. If you have any information contact Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS.