Sodus Couple Charged With Concealing $276 in Merchandise at Victor Target

Amanda Youngs, 39, and Mathew Youngs, 40, both of Barclay Road in Sodus, were charged with petit larceny after Ontario County Sheriff's deputies say the pair concealed merchandise inside a purse and reusable shopping bags and walked out of the Target at 7500 Commons Blvd. in Victor without paying on March 9.

Deputies responded to the store around 1:20 p.m. and, according to investigators, found that the Youngs had passed all points of sale without paying for $276.09 in merchandise. The method mattered: reusable bags, which shoppers routinely carry into stores, require no explanation at checkout and can move past loss prevention with little friction.

Both were transported to the Ontario County Sheriff's Office substation, where they were issued appearance tickets. The couple is scheduled to appear in Victor Town Court at a later date. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The March 9 arrest was the latest in a series of shoplifting incidents at the same Victor store. On Feb. 16, Jennifer A. Oshea, 48, of Honeoye Falls, was taken into custody around 1:35 p.m. after allegedly leaving the Target on Commons Boulevard without paying for $83.28 in merchandise. She was charged with larceny and is also scheduled to appear in Victor Town Court.

In a separate case reported by Finger Lakes Daily News, Nichelle Beale, 40, was taken into custody on a Thursday after allegedly leaving the same store pushing a cart full of merchandise without paying. Beale faced a more serious charge: fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony. She was transported to the Ontario County Jail for centralized arraignment, later released on her own recognizance, and is likewise scheduled to appear in Victor Town Court. No dollar value was reported for that incident, and the exact date was not available in published reports.

Three arrests at the same store, with charges ranging from petit larceny to a felony, point to a location that loss prevention and the Ontario County Sheriff's Office are watching closely. Whether store-level procedures change as a result remains an open question.