A couple was arrested on February 17 for large-scale retail theft and multiple drug-related crimes.
25-year-old Christina Ferguson and Taylor Ferguson, 31, are accused of stealing more than 120 products from Walmart shops in Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi since January 1.
At 10:25 p.m., the pair was captured at a Walmart on Skyline Drive.
According to a Log Cabin Democrat piece by Kolton Rutherford, the pair allegedly stole up to $500 in products per day from some establishments.
According to the newspaper, on the day of their arrest, the pair allegedly took $280 in products by sneaking it into a purse.
According to Matthew Boyd, the public information officer for the Conway Police Department, “Every case of large-scale retail theft is different.”
“It’s difficult to have a set protocol for these things; our investigation changes as the case changes,” he informed us.
The couple has been charged with theft of $5,000 or less but more than $1,000, which is a Class D felony.
The Conway Police Department collaborated with Walmart Asset Protection, a Walmart entity dedicated to protecting the security of its shops and consumers.
“This case is an excellent example of law enforcement and private sector collaboration to combat organized retail theft,” CPD said in a press release.
Boyd added, “Resources in police departments get so tied up in these cases, which harms our community while also financially harming the stores involved.”
When police searched the couple’s house, they allegedly discovered drugs, some of which were recognized as hallucinogens, and charged them with possession with intent to deliver — sometimes known as drug trafficking—a criminal offense.
The couple was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class D misdemeanor.
According to the Arkansas Code of 1987 (§§ 5-1-101—5-79-107), this charge applies to individuals who possess drug paraphernalia with the intention of using it to inject, ingest, inhale, or introduce a controlled substance into the human body, or to store, contain, conceal, or weigh a controlled substance.
According to Rutherford’s story, Taylor Ferguson was previously charged with one count of felony theft in 2018, and the subsequent search of their home “yielded the recovery of multiple stolen property.'”
Taylor Ferguson was arraigned on April 1, while Christina Ferguson’s arraignment is scheduled for April 14.
Taylor Ferguson’s bond was set at $100,000, and Christina Ferguson’s was set at $75,000.
“We see these types of cases several times a year,” Boyd informed me.
In 2024, the CPD’s annual report contained 1,182 theft-related reports.
Police are currently working with several agencies on the investigation, and they encourage the community to contact them if they have any new information.