CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer was charged with shoplifting in south suburban Chicago Ridge after department store security guards stopped her from leaving with clothing she allegedly had not bought, police said.
Carie A. Hooker, a police officer for 11 years, was stopped shortly after 5 p.m. Monday when she tried to leave the Kohl's store, 9700 S. Ridgeland Ave., with about $100 in women's clothing, Chicago Ridge police said.
Store security called Chicago Ridge police, and Hooker was cooperative when they arrived, Chief Tim Baldermann said.
She was charged with misdemeanor retail theft.
Hooker was assigned to the Chicago Alternative Police Strategies office. She has been stripped of her badge and gun pending the outcome of the case, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said.
Hooker is the second Chicago police officer to be arrested in the last week. On Saturday, Officer Gerald Callahan allegedly struck a middle-age couple in the bar of a restaurant in Niles, authorities said.
Police later found him lying in the bushes on top of his unholstered gun, authorities said. He was charged with misdemeanor battery and has been stripped of his police powers.