Mom Arrested for Stealing Pokémon Cards With her 2 Kids at Target

Prior Arrest

Around 6:04 PM on July 26, 2024, officers with the Middletown Township Police Department were dispatched to a report of a shoplifting at the Target on 2105 Route 35. Officer James Courtney with the Middletown Township Police Department spotted a vehicle matching the description of the alleged offender on Palmer Avenue and initiated a traffic stop around 6:08 PM. He made contact with the alleged shoplifter, who was identified as Halayna Koehn. Her boyfriend and 2 children were also seated inside the vehicle.

In order to avoid having her children witness this, Halayna was asked to exit the vehicle. Officer Courtney questioned Halayna about where she had been, and she eventually admitted to having left the Target store. She was asked if she had taken anything, and she was initially in denial. Sergeant Michael Heaton also arrived on scene to assist, and he eventually returned to his patrol car waiting for updates. Around this time, Officer Kenneth Ross entered the Target store and met with the loss prevention officials so he could review the video footage.

The surveillance footage confirmed that Halayna had allegedly shoplifted by switching barcodes on items such as Pokémon Cards and taking them through self-checkout. It is also outlined in the summons that Halayna had allegedly shoplifted from the same Target store on June 19th, July 6th, July 7th in addition to that particular day. The total value of items she had shoplifted from the Target store on multiple occasions were estimated to be over $500. The complaint also alleges that Halayna knowingly employed a juvenile male and juvenile female in the commission of a crime.

After it was determined that Halayna had shoplifted and that Target wanted to press charges against her, Sergeant Heaton told Halayna that she was going to be placed under arrest. Officer Courtney placed her in handcuffs and placed her in the patrol car. Once she was in the patrol car, Sergeant Heaton instructed him to move the vehicle into a safe parking space because her boyfriend could not drive, and then he was instructed to find a ride home with her 2 children. Officer Courtney then transported her to the Middletown Township Police Department for further processing.

At police HQ, Halayna was finger printed and photographed. She was charged with shoplifting under 2C:20-11B(1) and employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime under 2C:24-9A and released pending her court appearance. Court records indicate that Halayna has multiple prior shoplifting arrests, including in Raritan on November 7, 2012 and Old Bridge on March 11, 2024.

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