Copperas Cove police arrest pair in linked H-E-B, Walmart thefts

Copperas Cove police arrested Michelle Lee Porter and Robert Clifton Thomas after officers connected a theft call at H-E-B to repeated thefts at both H-E-B and Walmart in Copperas Cove. Both names were later listed in the city’s police bulletin under theft charges that carried an added repeat-offender allegation.

Officers were dispatched to H-E-B at about 11:43 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, after the store reported a theft-related situation. The case did not stay confined to one checkout lane or one store aisle. Police tied the H-E-B call to a broader pattern involving both of the city’s major retailers, turning what could have been a routine shoplifting response into a linked retail-theft investigation.

The police bulletin for Aug. 2, 2026, listed Porter, Michelle Lee, and Thomas, Robert Clifton as arrested. It identified the charge for both as theft under $2,500 with two or more previous convictions. That charge level matters because it points to alleged repeat conduct, not just a one-time loss at a single storefront.

For H-E-B and Walmart, repeated thefts can mean more than missing merchandise. Store managers and loss-prevention staff have to spend time documenting incidents, reviewing camera footage and working with officers, while police are pulled back into the same retail corridor instead of other calls around Coryell County. In Copperas Cove, where both stores serve as regular shopping stops for families across the city, that kind of pattern can quickly become a public-safety and operations issue rather than a simple theft report.

The Copperas Cove Police Department’s daily bulletin is a preliminary summary of police activity, and it notes that information can change as investigations continue. In this case, though, the bulletin already captured the central detail that mattered most: two people, two stores and a theft pattern that police moved on fast enough to turn into arrests.