Women allegedly steal over $500 of baby formula from Walmart

This undated stock photo shows powdered baby formula | Photo by Tanya145/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Two women were allegedly caught trying to haul hundreds of dollars’ worth of baby formula from the Walmart in St. George early Monday morning.

Booking photos show Adrian Dani Wilson (left) and Ashanae Lashai Brown (right), of Highland, California, who were both arrested Monday after allegedly stealing hundreds of dollars worth or baby formula from Walmart in St. George, Utah, May 7, 2018 | Photos courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

Police say Adrian Dani Wilson and Ashanae Lashai Brown, of Highland, California, were at the Walmart store on Pioneer Road at about 5 a.m. when they allegedly started loading baby formula totaling nearly $300 into a plastic tote.

After loss-prevention managers at Walmart approached the women in the store about what they were doing, Brown and Wilson left the tote behind and allegedly fled the store with more baby formula in their purses, St. George police officer Lona Trombley said.

Video surveillance in the store showed the women placing the formula in the plastic tote and leaving, Trombley said.

Police responded to the scene and were able to locate the silver Nissan car that Brown and Wilson were fleeing in. They made a traffic stop and arrested Brown and Wilson for retail theft, Trombley said. After being arrested, it appeared the incident Monday wasn’t the first time Brown and Wilson had stolen baby formula from Walmart.

“There were many bottles of formula located in the trunk of the vehicle also,” Trombley said in an email, later adding that the formula was confirmed to have also been taken from the St. George Walmart.

The cost of the formula found in the suspects’ car totaled about $563, Trombley said. Including the baby formula they allegedly attempted to steal from Walmart Monday morning, there was a total worth of $834 of property taken or attempted to be taken from Walmart.

The Walmart store on Pioneer Road in St. George, Utah, where Adrian Dani Wilson and Ashanae Lashai Brown, of Highland, California, allegedly stole hundreds of dollars’ worth of baby formula, May 7, 2018 | Photo by Spencer Ricks, St. George News

“Later, the car was being inventoried for impound and a blue bottle was located next to the passenger seat,” Trombley said. “Both females stated it was marijuana and knew it was there.”

There was also a $5 bill found folded up inside the passenger door pocket containing a white powder substance suspected to be cocaine, Trombley said.

Brown and Willson were booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility and both charged with third-degree felonies for retail theft. They were also both charged with misdemeanors for possession of drugs and paraphernalia, Trombley said.

Brown has prior theft convictions in California, and Wilson will also be charged for an additional theft that occurred at the St. George Walmart on May 2, Trombley said. Their prior theft charges will “enhance their current theft charge,” Trombley said. Both of the women remain in jail at the time of this report.

A motive for why Brown and Wilson allegedly stole so much baby formula was not known at the time of this report.

This report is based on statements from police and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter:  @STGnews | @SpencerRicks

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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9 Comments

  • Mean Momma May 7, 2018 at 11:54 am

    $500 worth of formula, huh? So what is that these days, 5 cans? My guess is they were going to sale it, even at half price that is a $250 profit. These women are thieves, but so are the companies that charge so much for this liquid/powdered gold!

    • Mean Momma May 8, 2018 at 8:05 am

      Ummm, I mean sell it. I was tired.

  • DRT May 7, 2018 at 12:00 pm

    Maybe they’re using baby formula to cut dope?

  • Real Life May 7, 2018 at 12:26 pm

    Baby formula is often used to cut heroin or cocaine. Just a wild guess here, but I have a hunch that’s what they were up to.

  • RadRabbit May 7, 2018 at 4:12 pm

    Highland California about sums it up, send this trash back where it came from.

  • Sparky May 8, 2018 at 4:03 pm

    To be fair, i’d hope they were using it for drugs, because this would only last them about 2 weeks with kids.. damn formula prices are far out of control.

    • comments May 8, 2018 at 6:59 pm

      Isn’t the main ingredient of formula just dried powdered milk solids? A person could probably mix up their own for a fraction of the price.

      If they’re using it to cut crack, $500 worth should last quite a while.

  • utahdiablo May 8, 2018 at 7:39 pm

    Highland CA….Crap hole USA….but yet another reason to legalize MJ huh folks?

  • mctrialsguy May 9, 2018 at 12:08 pm

    Based on the photos, looks like the “struck a pose” learned at the same modelling studio!

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