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Abandoned Girl Forced to Shoplift
Aired June 13, 2003 - 14:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: An incredulous story out of Texas now. Police in Sugar Land near Houston are on the lookout for a suspected shoplifter who, they say, drove off and left her young daughter holding the bag.
Reporter Michelle Costas (ph) with our affiliate, KRIV, fills us in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): She is only 7 years old, a child called to do the dirty work of three females suspected of shopping at this Randall's grocery store in Sugar Land.
DET. MARSHALL SLOT, SUGAR LAND, TEXAS POLICE: A manager saw them walk in the store and recognized them as two females who had possibly shoplifted from the store before, so he started watching them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Surveillance video shows a Hispanic female, supposedly the child's cousin, directing her to a basket of stolen goods. Moments later, you see the girl running out of the store with the basket, and then the manager, who was watching. He caught the child, but the getaway car, this red Chevrolet Corsica, sped away.
SLOT: And the child identified the mother as Maria Reyes (ph), and also identified her as being the driver of the car that fled the scene, which makes it all that more shocking.
ESTELLA OLGUIN, CHILDREN'S PROTECTIVE SERVICE: It is unusual not to have a relative who is willing to come forward and come get her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been four days the abandoned little girl has been in custody of Children's Protective Services. Family, unwilling to come forward, although they have contacted CPS about her.
OLGUIN: They haven't come to our office and presented themselves from the information that they've given us, like addresses have false. So, at this point we're trying to find out who she is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that is proving difficult. The girl gives two different names. She doesn't know what school she goes to or who her teacher was.
OLGUIN: She is a very healthy 7-year-old girl, very bright, so that's why it's surprising that she doesn't know a lot of information, like even where she lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Our thanks to Michelle Costas (ph).
And one final note, because of her age, the child does not face any criminal charges in connection with the attempted shoplifting.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired June 13, 2003 - 14:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: An incredulous story out of Texas now. Police in Sugar Land near Houston are on the lookout for a suspected shoplifter who, they say, drove off and left her young daughter holding the bag.
Reporter Michelle Costas (ph) with our affiliate, KRIV, fills us in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): She is only 7 years old, a child called to do the dirty work of three females suspected of shopping at this Randall's grocery store in Sugar Land.
DET. MARSHALL SLOT, SUGAR LAND, TEXAS POLICE: A manager saw them walk in the store and recognized them as two females who had possibly shoplifted from the store before, so he started watching them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Surveillance video shows a Hispanic female, supposedly the child's cousin, directing her to a basket of stolen goods. Moments later, you see the girl running out of the store with the basket, and then the manager, who was watching. He caught the child, but the getaway car, this red Chevrolet Corsica, sped away.
SLOT: And the child identified the mother as Maria Reyes (ph), and also identified her as being the driver of the car that fled the scene, which makes it all that more shocking.
ESTELLA OLGUIN, CHILDREN'S PROTECTIVE SERVICE: It is unusual not to have a relative who is willing to come forward and come get her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been four days the abandoned little girl has been in custody of Children's Protective Services. Family, unwilling to come forward, although they have contacted CPS about her.
OLGUIN: They haven't come to our office and presented themselves from the information that they've given us, like addresses have false. So, at this point we're trying to find out who she is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that is proving difficult. The girl gives two different names. She doesn't know what school she goes to or who her teacher was.
OLGUIN: She is a very healthy 7-year-old girl, very bright, so that's why it's surprising that she doesn't know a lot of information, like even where she lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Our thanks to Michelle Costas (ph).
And one final note, because of her age, the child does not face any criminal charges in connection with the attempted shoplifting.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
