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On July 3rd, 2015 at approximately 7:30 p.m., Spokane Valley Sheriff’s Deputy Stan Kravtsov responded to a reported theft at Home Depot located at 5617 East Sprague in Spokane Valley.
A store Loss Prevention employee told Deputy Kravtsov, he observed a female, later identified as 31-year-old Amber M. Elliott, place several items in a child car seat under a baby she had with her. Elliott exited the store, passing several cash registers, without paying for the items. The store employee contacted her outside the store and attempted to detain Elliott but she ran. Elliott discarded the concealed items as she continued running from the store employee. Elliott ran toward a Suburban parked in the parking lot, placed the car seat on the ground and continued to flee. The employee located the car seat with the child inside and waited for deputies to arrive.
A male was contacted in the Suburban and was cooperative with responding deputies. The male explained he was getting a ride from Elliott when she stopped at Home Depot. She went into the store with her 1-year-old child while he stayed in the vehicle with Elliott’s 3-year-old child. A short time later, he observed Elliott running from the store toward the vehicle. She placed the child seat near the vehicle, told the male to take the children and run before she ran south from the parking lot. The male said the children were not his and he has never cared for them in the past. He said he was merely getting a ride from Elliott and was not involved in the theft.
Deputy Kravtsov noted the temperature at the time of the incident was 95 degrees and although the windows of the vehicle were rolled down, the children were very hot. The children were provided water and food as deputies contacted Child Protective Services and later released the children into their care.
Deputies did not locate Elliott at the time of the incident but a request was completed charging Elliott with Theft 3rd Degree and two counts of Abandonment of a Dependent Person.
Deputy Mark Gregory
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office
Public Information Officer
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