LA CROSSE, Wis. – When police officer Conner Hjellming responded to a shoplifting report from a drugstore, he found a homeless woman who was stealing a hat and pair of gloves. It was the day of the first snowfall. “She admitted that she was homeless, she didn’t have any gloves and hat, and she was freezing out on the street,” he said. “At that point, the gloves and hat were still in my hand, and I told her, ‘ You can’t be doing this,’ and she’s nodding and said, ‘I know,’ and I said, ‘All right, I’ll buy these for you’ — and this look of shock just shot over her face, so we walked up to the register and she said, ‘Are you serious?’” It cost him $9.47. Hjellming issued a no-trespass order, nothing more, and escorted the woman out the front door. The whole encounter was on his bodycam.
Walgreen response
The store, Walgreens at 900 West Avenue South, decided against pressing charges
