Husband, wife charged in alleged Woodbury shoplifting spree

A husband and wife were formally charged last month with felony theft after allegedly going on a shoplifting spree at stores in Tamarack Village.

Kimberly Frances Franson and Gregory Michael Franson, both 48 years old, were each charged with one count of theft.

The charges stemmed from an Aug. 2 incident at Tamarack Village, where store owners reported a woman had been observed taking merchandise at Gordman’s. Workers at nearby Ulta reported missing merchandise and suspected a woman and possible others were responsible for theft, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

Police arrived at Gordman’s, where they spotted a woman who matched a possible suspect description sitting in a van parked near the store’s entrance.

Officers learned that another adult female suspect, later identified as Kimberly Franson, was still inside the store. The complaint states she was observed filling a cart with clothes, then meeting up with a man in the store, who was identified as Gregory Franson. The couple went to an area beyond the reach of surveillance cameras and emerged with a black garbage bag.

The couple walked out of the store with the bag. The Fransons were stopped by Gordman’s security and Woodbury police after leaving the store.

Police recovered $1,098 in allegedly stolen merchandise in the bag.

Officers made contact with the woman in the van – the Fransons’ daughter. She told police she knew her mother had been shoplifting and that she “wanted nothing to do with it,” so she waited in the vehicle. Prosecutors decided not to charge the daughter in the case.

Workers at Ulta came forward to police and reported observing Kimberly Franson stealing cosmetics from the store. The Ulta merchandise – valued at $1,168 – was found inside the van.

Police also found merchandise from JoAnn Fabrics inside the van. The daughter told police she witnessed her mother leaving JoAnn Fabrics carrying a bag of merchandise that she knew she didn’t have the money to pay for.

The complaint states the couple has no permanent address.

Kimberly Franson admitted to the theft from all three stores, saying she intended to sell the items on the street in order to fund her drug habit and to provide for her family.

She will be arraigned in Washington County District Court on Sept. 26.

Gregory Franson has an Oct. 3 arraignment.

Tags: crime and courts, news, crime