ARLINGTON — The North Texas iPad theft spree may have come to an end Tuesday night.
Jessica Hoffman, a mother of four, was charged with stealing a tablet from a store in Sherman. Police think she is the same person responsible for similar crimes at 35 other stores across Texas and Oklahoma.
Officers from Sherman, Arlington and Cleburne were all involved in arresting Hoffman Tuesday night in Arlington.
It's been almost one week since News 8 aired the story about a woman who stole more than 100 iPads, valued at $57,000. We showed viewers the surveillance video, and they responded.
Police credited tips for helping them solve the case of the "iThief."
"Numerous callers actually named the suspect by name," said Sherman police spokesman Sgt. Bruce Dawsey.
Police officers armed with arrest and search warrants converged on an apartment complex near Six Flags Over Texas. Once inside, they arrested Hoffman, 37, who police believe is the woman seen in surveillance videos from Walmart stores in Sherman and McKinney.
Police said the suspect would fill a cart full of groceries, then go to the electronics department to get three iPads she would say she planned to buy.
Once at the checkout, the cashier scanned the iPads and placed them in a bag. As the cashier focused on scanning the groceries, the thief surreptitiously placed the iPads in a bag she brought into the store, then told the clerk she needed to go to her car to get the money to pay for her shopping.
The suspect would then leave with the iPads and never come back.
Police believe Hoffman hit stores across North Texas, averaging three iPads in each heist. They told us she is unemployed, married, and a mother of four.
Investigators found evidence after searching her Arlington home and a family member's apartment, where she was arrested. But they wouldn't say what they found.
"We know how, but we don't know why yet," Dawsey said.
Dawsey, who shot video of the arrest and then drove Hoffman to Sherman, describes her as quiet, but upset.
"She saw the video as well; she saw the news coverage,” Dawsey said. “So it was not necessarily a surprise that the police were knocking on her door."
At this point, Hoffman is only charged with the Sherman Walmart theft. But officers from 35 other cities want to talk with her about similar crimes.
E-mail sstoler@wfaa.com
