Two Cleveland, Tenn., women were arrested on Jan. 7 in Fort Oglethorpe after being pulled over with more than $3,500 worth of stolen merchandise in the back of their car that they had allegedly taken moments earlier from the Wal-Mart on Battlefield Parkway.

According to the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department:

Janice Denise Rakestraw, 51, and Erica Nicole Waters, 26, both of Tunnel Hill Road in Cleveland, Tenn., were arrested on Monday, Jan. 7, on charges of shoplifting. Both women have been released from jail on bond.

Around 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 7, officers were dispatched to the Wal-Mart at 3040 Ga. 2 (Battlefield Parkway) in reference to two shoplifters who had fled the scene.

Store management told officers that the women took off from the store with several items, and that one employee was able to get the tag number of the red 1999 Hyundai Elantra that the duo fled in, reports show.

“Dispatch provided a be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) for the offender vehicle, which was located a short time later being driven eastbound on Battlefield Parkway at Three Notch Road,” officer Greg Cross wrote in the report.

The women were stopped by a Catoosa County sheriff's deputy, who assisted with the case.

“I met with deputy Jones, who advised that Erica Waters, who was driving, stated to him that all they had taken from Wal-Mart without paying for was some cookware,” Cross said. “During further investigation, we found additional items in the vehicle belonging to Wal-Mart, and neither offender could provide proof of purchase.”

In total, $3,554 worth of merchandise was stolen and recovered during the incident.