A photo of the incident, which did the rounds on Dunedin social media, depicted 25-year-old Letiecia Terry Wilson’s reaction to being confronted by a member of the public after one of the alleged crimes.
She originally appeared in the Dunedin District Court last week charged with stealing $1030 of sparkling wine from Andersons Bay Countdown on November 10 and possessing a methamphetamine pipe 10 days later when she and her partner were arrested in Opoho.
Police said they found numerous items of stolen property in the couple’s vehicle and foreshadowed further charges.
Yesterday, 17 were added to the growing list — covering more than $8800 of goods.
She pleaded guilty to one of the charges but denied all others and elected a judge-alone trial.
Wilson was remanded in custody without a bail application and will be back before the court in February.
The charges stretched back to October 26 from Christchurch when the defendant allegedly stole more than $550 of alcohol from two outlets.
Wilson also stole meat and clothing in the city before moving to Kaiapoi where the dishonesty continued, according to court documents.
She is accused of continuing the spree in Dunedin on November 6, initially swiping $855 of alcohol from a supermarket.
It is alleged the crimes ended on November 18 with the theft of $360 of bedding from Briscoes in Invercargill.
Charged alongside her is a 38-year-old man, who faces an identical count of possessing a glass pipe.
He was also charged with stealing nearly $500 of groceries — including meat, wine and dental-care products — in Christchurch from November 10 to 12.
He will appear in the Christchurch District Court next week.
