A Bloomfield woman is accused of stealing a wallet then tossing it behind a store in Bloomfield.

Natalie M. Chaplin, 40, Bloomfield, was arrested by Deputy Marshal Brittany Ingram of the Bloomfield Police Department on Thursday, April 16, following an investigation by Ingram and BPD Lt. Marvin Holt into the theft of a wallet.

Officer Ingram and Lt. Holt were dispatched to the Dollar General store in Bloomfield around 6:44 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15. When they arrived, a woman reported her wallet had been stolen while she was in the store.

After reviewing video from the store’s surveillance system, a photo of a suspect was posted on the department’s Facebook page asking if anyone could identify the suspect. But the suspect went back into the store the next day and employees noticed the suspect’s return and called police.

With the information from the employees, Chaplin was identified as the suspect and the officers located her at her residence.

According to Officer Ingram, when Lt. Holt talked to Chaplin, she admitted taking the wallet and leaving the store. She said she planned to return it but was scared, thinking she would get into trouble if she returned it. So she tossed it behind the store.

Chaplin was taken into custody and booked in before 11 p.m., the day after the theft. Her bond was set at $4,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. She posted $400 and was released on Friday, April 17.

Chaplin is scheduled to appear in Greene Superior Court next Monday for an initial hearing. She is facing a charge of theft – when defendant has a prior conviction for either theft or conversion, a Level 6 felony.

Ingram reported that Chaplin has three previous convictions for theft – two in 2007 in Morgan County and one in 2018, also in Morgan County.