Tangipahoa Parish sheriff's deputies were "horsing around" over the weekend when they captured a suspect accused of shoplifting from a store that was celebrating its grand opening.
It happened Saturday at the new Tractor Supply on the I-55 Service Road in Ponchatoula.
According to a sheriff's office spokesperson, a Theresa Prine walked out of the store with a basket full of tools and equipment for which she hadn't paid. The store owner confronted Prine about her alleged attempt at a five-finger discount, but Prine ran away. That's when mounted sheriff's deputies who were at the store took off, chasing Prine on their horses until they caught her. Those deputies held Prine, 35, until Ponchatoula police could come to arrest her.
According to investigators, Prine tried to steal $1,200 worth of merchandise.
“It may often appear that our Mounted Division comes around just for show and smiles, but these teams are skilled and trained as crime-fighting and prevention resources, including crowd control and, like in this case, foot-versus-hoof pursuits,” Sheriff Gerald Sticker said in a statement.