Cop steals cosmetics from Target and says it was an accident, Indiana police say
A 17-year veteran Indianapolis police officer has been arrested and put on leave after being accused of shoplifting from Target then trying to call in a favor afterward, authorities say.
A loss prevention worker said they saw Sgt. Sara Lamkin hiding items in a plastic storage container at the department store on Feb. 1, WANE reported, citing court documents. The worker said they also saw Lamkin swapping the tickets on her more expensive items with cheaper ones, and at the self-checkout counter, she left 10 other items in her cart unscanned. In total, she attempted to leave with about $185 in stolen items, mostly cosmetics. WANE reported.
As Lamkin left the store, workers confronted her, according to the Indianapolis Star. She told them she “worked with police” and could lose her job if they reported the theft, according to WTHR. Both outlets cited court documents in their reports.
She offered to pay for the items to avoid getting charged, according to the IndyStar, then texted an on-duty police officer and asked him to respond to the store’s call.
“I left things in my cart I forgot about when I paid ... I forgot and my head was elsewhere,” she said in the text, the IndyStar reported.
Lamkin asked the officer to treat the incident as a trespassing violation instead of shoplifting, which he did, according to WANE.
Lamkin was charged Feb. 6 with one count of misdemeanor theft after an investigation, according to WTHR. Online court records show Lamkin was issued a stay-away order for all Target locations within the county, the outlet reported.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department told WTHR that Lamkin is on paid leave. IMPD Internal Affairs will conduct an administrative investigation and present the findings to the police chief, the outlet said.
Lamkin’s hearing is scheduled for March 6.
This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 2:00 AM.
