DUBOIS – A Punxsutawney woman accused of wearing a stolen Halloween costume that she tried to return waived her right to a preliminary hearing Friday.
Corine Darci Shannon, 26, is facing two third-degree felony counts of retail theft for her actions Oct. 29 at the DuBois Spirit Halloween store. Her bail is set at $5,000, unsecured.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, an employee reported that a woman was in the store with another woman and tried on various costumes. The employee said the store was busy at the time, but she remembered them and that they were in the store quite a while.
The woman later identified as Shannon, who was wearing blue jeans, left the other woman behind in the store. This woman said she was stranded because Shannon was her ride. This woman stayed in the store for a while, but then eventually left.
About four hours later, Shannon walked back into the store, wearing a Harley Quinn costume. When the employee checked the area where the costume had been located, she found several empty boxes. The employee realized the outfit, including the wig had been stolen when Shannon was in the store the first time.
Shannon said she wanted to exchange the outfit for another, advising the employee that she had purchased the costume earlier. This employee knew the items were stolen but continued to go along with what Shannon was saying.
After Shannon picked a few other outfits to try on, the employee met with her in the changing area where she was able to snap a photo of Shannon in the Harley Quinn outfit.
After Shannon set down her bag, several items also sold at the store allegedly fell out. The employee then confronted Shannon and asked her to show a receipt. When Shannon was unable to do so, she allegedly admitted to stealing several pieces of merchandise.
The employee advised her if she paid for the items, she would drop the whole thing. Shannon agreed. At this point, Shannon allegedly admitted to another employee that she was stealing. While the first employee was on the phone, Shannon ran out the door without paying for anything.
According to the criminal complaint, Shannon pleaded guilty in three previous retail theft cases.