Woman Arrested On Four Criminal Cases
Staff Report
WARSAW — A Kokomo woman apparently staying in a Warsaw hotel was recently arrested on four criminal cases.
In the first case, Megan Katherine Hooper, 32, Kokomo, is charged with criminal trespass and false informing, both class A misdemeanors. She was charged with theft, a class A misdemeanor; and theft with a prior conviction, a level 6 felony, in a second case. Hooper was also charged with criminal trespass, a class A misdemeanor, in a third case. In a fourth case, Hooper was charged with possession of cocaine with enhancing circumstances, a level 5 felony; and possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor.
On June 28, a a Warsaw Police officer went to Walmart regarding a theft and criminal trespass report. A store employee said a woman who had been previously trespassed from Walmart for theft on June 19, was in the store.
According to court documents, the employee followed the woman – identified as Hooper – through the store and watched her falsely scan items at check-out.
Upon speaking with the officer, the woman provided a false name and date of birth.
On July 16, a Warsaw Police officer went to Shoe Carnival regarding a theft report. The store’s manager said a woman was caught on surveillance footage concealing three pairs of shoes in her purse and leaving the store without paying. The total value of the stolen shoes was $129.98.
Officers identified the woman as Hooper and spoke with her about the theft on Aug. 3. Hooper admitted to stealing the shoes and retrieved two of the pairs from her residence. She was issued a trespass warning for Shoe Carnival.
Shortly after returning the two pairs to the store, a Shoe Carnival employee said the shoes brought back were stolen, but were not the ones stolen on July 16. The employee said empty boxes for the two returned pairs of shoes were found on July 29, with a collective value of $99.98.
Hooper then provided officers with two other pairs of shoes, only one of which was confirmed as a stolen pair from July 16.
Hooper was previously convicted of theft in Indiana in March 2015.
On Aug. 28, a Warsaw Police officer was called to Walmart regarding Hooper being in the store. A no-trespass order was still in effect for Hooper at the time.
On Sept. 3, a Warsaw Police officer responded to a drug overdose at the Comfort Inn. Upon arrival, officers found an inn staff member performing CPR on an unresponsive woman, later identified as Tommilyn Erswell, Ohio. Hooper and a child were in the room at the time.
Hooper said she and Erswell had smoked a narcotic drug. Officers were able to revive Erswell and took Hooper, Erswell and the child to a local hospital. The child was in Erswell’s care at the time of the overdose.
Next to where Erswell had been laying, officers found fentanyl-laced cocaine and drug paraphernalia.
Erswell is charged with possession of cocaine with enhancing circumstances, a level 5 felony; neglect of a dependent, a level 6 felony; and possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor. A warrant was issued for Erswell’s arrest on Oct. 18.
For these cases, Hooper was arrested on Oct. 18.