Additional Charges Filed in Walmart Shoplifting Incident

By Jack Tobias

Police have charged a third family member in an alleged pre-Christmas shoplifting incident at the Lower Nazareth Walmart.

Although police on Saturday charged Felicia Janice Cantave, 20, of Bethlehem, online court records show that charges have been dropped against one of the family members.

The records say Cantave, her brother, Dwayne Williams, and Williams' brother-in-law, Karon D. Stewart, tried to steal $443.59 in items from the Walmart the night of Dec. 1.

However, the online records show that charges against Williams, 24, also of Bethlehem, were withdrawn on Dec. 19 -- the date that had been scheduled for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Joseph Barner of Lower Nazareth.

Williams had been held in Northampton County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail until the charges were dropped.

Meanwhile, Stewart, 23, also of Bethlehem, waived charges of retail theft and conspiracy to commit retail theft at a Jan. 2 preliminary hearing before Barner. He is free on $2,500 unsecured bail.

A criminal complaint filed by Colonial Regional Patrolman Jason Spirito says the three loaded a shopping cart with items, walked past the cash registers and out to the parking lot. They were putting the items into a car when store loss-prevention officials took Williams inside the store, leaving the other two outside.

When an official returned to the parking lot, Stewart and Cantave were gone, the complaint says.

Cantave, of 1549 Fleming St. in Bethlehem, was charged with retail theft and conspiracy to commit retail theft. The charges are seeking $41.89 restitution for damage to the items. The complaint does not say what the items are.

She was arraigned by on-duty District Judge Diane Marakovits of Northampton and released on $500 unsecured bail.