‘Sticky-fingered’ woman steals $1,800 in chewing gum, California police say

A woman walked out of an Irvine store with a shopping cart full of purloined chewing gum — an estimated $1,800 worth, California police reported.

Now investigators are on the lookout for the “sticky-fingered” thief, the Irvine Police Department said in a Feb. 9 news release.

Security video from the store shows the woman filling up a cart with bags of chewing gum, then leaving without paying in the Jan. 27 heist, police said.

She’s suspected in similar crimes elsewhere in Orange County, police said.

“That’s what happens when you have strict gum control,” joked one person in a Facebook comment on the release.

“This case calls for some gumshoe detective work!” another person joked.

Investigators ask anyone with information about the crime to contact njohnson@cityofirvine.org.

Irvine is about 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 9:47 AM with the headline "‘Sticky-fingered’ woman steals $1,800 in chewing gum, California police say."