Local police officers had to deploy pepper spray on an alleged shoplifter who reportedly began popping pills at the station house over the three day Labor Day weekend.

• Tracy Lynn Fleming, 34, of Switzer, was arrested in Logan County by Officers J.L. Sheppard and A. Newsome of the Logan Police Department for trespassing when asked to leave, public intoxication, shoplifting (third offense) obstructing an officer and possession of a controlled substance on Sept. 6. According to police reports the officers responded to a call from Walmart in reference to an alleged shoplifting incident involving Fleming.

"She was placed on trespassing notice for a prior shoplifting incident," the report states. "When speaking with her, this officer observed several unopened items in plain view upon her person. These officers then escorted the defendant to the loss prevention office. While speaking with her, these officers found that she had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes." The officers gave Fleming standard field sobriety tests which she reportedly failed. "These officers then checked the items in her purse and found she had $35.64 in Wal Mart merchandise concealed in her purse. These officers then ran the defendants criminal history and found that she had two prior shoplifting arrests (7/26/08, 0/14/07). She was then placed under arrest and taken to Logan City Hall for processing. While at city hall, the defendant got a bottle of Talwin 50 mg (schedule IV) out of her purse that belonged to her boyfriend... At that time, this officer gave the defendant several verbal commands to stay out of her purse and put the medication bottle down. She then opened the bottle and took seven of them. While she was doing so, this officer administered a one second burst of Cap-Stun and retrieved the bottle.

She was taken into custody and booked at the Southwestern Regional Jail at Holden at 6:30 p.m. Fleming faces over $600 in court costs alone on the offenses.

"When you consider how much these folks pay in fines and court costs for shoplifting attempts, it's not worth the risk they take," one local law enforcement officer told The Logan Banner.

• Raymond Harold Koch, 38, of Whitman, was arrested in Logan County by Trooper D.C. Moore of the West Virginia State Police for petit larceny, public intoxication and obstructing an officer on Sept. 1. According to police reports on Sept. 1, Koch was at the residence of some relatives when "the defendant did take the wallet of...(the victim), who was visiting..."

Both relatives allegedly saw "the defendant placing the wallet into his pocket as he was walking out of the room where the wallet was," the report states. "he then walked outside and to another trailer. When he was confronted by ...(the witnesses) he told them he knew where the wallet was, but would not go get the wallet. When this officer asked about the wallet, he would not give any information as to the location of the wallet. Also, upon speaking to the defendant, it was discovered the defendant was highly intoxicated.... This defendant repeatedly disregarded several orders from this officer to come and speak to this officer and attempted several times to walk away from this officer while attempting conduct an investigation."

He was booked at the regional jail at 6:45 p.m.