RACINE — Charges were dismissed against two Racine County women who were accused of retail theft totaling more than $500 in goods from area gas stations with a Chicago man who remains in the Racine County Jail.
Tammy DeFord, of Union Grove, and ZeHarah Adrian, of Racine, were both charged with misdemeanor retail theft and faced nine months in jail each for that count. Adrian was also charged with misdemeanor bail jumping and would have faced another nine months in jail.
Court records indicate the retail theft (and bail jumping) charges against DeFord and Adrian were dropped Monday, July 24, at their initial appearances in Racine County Circuit Court, both without prejudice. When the court dismisses cases without prejudice, the state retains the right to reopen those cases should new information come to light.
The man the women were with, Gerald Ross, 30, of Chicago, could spend the next 11-1/2 years in prison and/or have to pay $150,500 in fines if he is convicted of the charges against him: eight counts of misdemeanor bail jumping, five counts of misdemeanor retail theft, and single counts each of misdemeanor obstruction, possession of drug paraphernalia, and theft.
The criminal complaint: retail theft from several gas stations
According to the criminal complaint for the trio, Ross, DeFord, and Adrian visited the Citgo and Kwik Trip stations off of Highway 20 at I-94 as well as the Speedway station in the 6200 block of Washington Avenue between July 22 and July 24. Witnesses at each location provided a physical description of Ross and detailed that he got away with cartons of cigarettes, cigarillos, and alcohol totaling almost $500.
Ross is also accused of stealing $115 worth of cigarettes on May 31 from the same Speedway, $105 in cigarettes on June 20 from Lambeau Tobacco on Durand Avenue, and $100 in Grey Goose Vodka on June 28 from Festival Foods on Washington Avenue.
He was assigned $3,000 in cash bonds and will next be in court on Aug. 29 for a status conference.
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