By Joanna Putman
Police1

BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio — An Ohio sheriff is asking a mall to pay a $5,000 reward for the arrest of a shoplifting suspect after he claims security precautions were neglected and shoppers’ safety was not ensured. WCPO reported.

“Waking up at 3:12 a.m. and seeing four police cars on fire… my heart sank. I’ve never had a call like that before.” McKeesport Police Chief Mark Steele said

The man struck the Stonington police officer in the head with a knife and eventually hit the officer in the face with just his hand.

“(Wayne David) is a true hero for the District of Columbia and today he gave his life to serve the visitors and residents here,” said Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll

Julio Cordero, a prominent FBI employee for over 20 years, was confronted by an El Paso ISD officer after allegedly breaking windows before school started

On August 21, two women allegedly stole $2,300 worth of clothing from Dick’s Sporting Goods at the mall. One of the women was arrested on August 27, and the second suspect is still at large.

In a video posted to Facebook on August 23, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones highlighted the high number of calls his office receives from the center, saying he has received nearly 150 calls in the last two months alone, the majority of which were related to shoplifting or theft.

After Roberts’ arrest, Jones released another video in which he stated, “I’m going to go ahead and pay Liberty Mall for the $5,000 reward. They should have to pay that, they don’t provide proper security there, they don’t care. Someone is going to die.”

Jones’ office then billed the mall for the reward. In response to questions about safety and security, Alexis Bolton, Liberty Center’s marketing director, emphasized the mall’s commitment to safety.

“At Liberty Center, the safety of our guests, tenants and employees is very important to us. We take all safety concerns seriously and continually evaluate and improve our security measures in collaboration with local law enforcement and private security professionals.”

Liberty Center also confirmed that its security program involves private personnel and off-duty sheriff’s deputies and is funded entirely by the center. The center has not yet responded to the sheriff’s office regarding the payment of the $5,000 reward.

Sheriff Jones stated that they remain committed to aggressively combating shoplifting in Butler County.

“I will not tolerate this, but we will arrest you, we will find you and we will charge you with a crime.”