OLYMPIA, Wash. — A 28-year-old woman has been sentenced to two years in prison for an unusual shoplifting case at an Olympia Target store.
In October 2012, surveillance cameras at the store captured Sacha Madorin-McGregor taking items such as DVDs and CDs off the shelves and putting them into storage containers she had placed in her shopping cart, police said.
After Madorin-McGregor grabbed 152 items, the video showed the woman heading out the front door without paying, but store security officers caught her and escorted her back inside the store, investigators said.
Once in the security office, Madorin-McGregor pretended to hyperventilate. Firefighters were summoned and gave her medical attention until they determined Madorin-McGregor was hyperventilating intentionally. At the time, Madorin-McGregor told officers she had cancer and took medication that caused memory loss.
Since then, Madorin-McGregor has admitted her guilt. Before she was sentenced Thursday, her attorney, Thomas Keehan, told the judge his client suffers from mental illness.
"It's unfortunate it took this pretty drastic series of events, but while all these cases were pending, she was able to finally receive a proper diagnosis," said Keehan.
Madorin-McGregor cried but made no statement before Thurston County Superior Court Judge James Dixon sentenced her to two years in prison.
After the hearing, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Toynbee told KIRO 7 he does not believe mental illness is to blame for Madorin-McGregor's crimes.
Toynbee put it bluntly.
"I think she's a thief. I think the bottom line is she likes to steal,” he said.
KIRO
