By Zane Davis
Approximately three weeks ago, Weiser resident and Weiser High School senior, Taylor Jo Wood, was minding her own business, working her job at Ridley’s, when she spotted a suspicious customer.
The staff at Ridley’s had been on the lookout for a man that was believed to have shoplifted from the store on numerous occasions. After suspicions regarding this man and eye witness accounts from both employees and customers, the management of the Weiser Ridley’s Market caught the suspect on video surveillance. All of the employees were on alert regarding this man. While Wood was gathering carts in the parking lot, she recognized the individual as he entered the store.
Apparently, the will to do what is right and the law enforcement gene run deep in Wood, as she is granddaughter of former Weiser Police Chief Greg Moon. With little regard for her own safety, Wood followed the suspect into the store and notified her manager through her headset that she had spotted the man.
The management at Ridley’s sprang to action, locking one of the front entry doors to the building, but Wood temporarily lost sight of the man, so she began walking the store in an effort to relocate him. Wood located the suspect carrying a case of beer and heading for the exit. Again, Wood notified her manager that the man was about to leave the building. The locked door slowed down his departure, and provided Ridley’s manager, Rosemary Johnson, an opportunity to approach the man. When she tapped him on the shoulder and confronted him, the suspect began to flee, running out the unlocked door and across the parking lot.
Wood, yelled to Rosemary to call the police and began to chase the man across the street. As both the shoplifter and Wood headed across the street, a police vehicle approached the scene and nearly hit them. Wood yelled for the man to “Drop the beer!”, which he surprisingly did and ceased running. Oddly, however, the man walked over to the side of the street where he had apparently left an open beer, picked it up and began drinking it before Weiser Police Officer, Troy Krahn, apprehended the man and placed him under arrest.
When asked if she received anything for her troubles, Wood stated, “I got a $20 gift card.” She laughed and added, “I was also told that I’m not supposed to chase after shoplifters.” This is good information to know because Wood also said, “It was good that Officer Krahn showed up, because I was fully prepared to tackle the guy.”
