# @downinnadesert on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DbUauo6G1PY
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/68548272-downinnadesert-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/9264289a1d.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-07-28T02:00:42.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Down In The Desert🌵 (@downinnadesert) — https://gondola.cc/downinnadesert

## Caption

An Arizona police sergeant is now barred from setting foot in a Walmart while she fights 12 felony counts.

Show Low police say White Mountain Apache Police Detective Sgt. Melissa Ward, 38, of Snowflake, was stopped on October 6, 2025 after leaving a Show Low Walmart with a plastic tote. Investigators say she paid for the tote and nothing inside it. She was in her police uniform at the time, according to police reports.

Loss prevention staff told police it was not a one off. Investigators say surveillance footage ties her to six more incidents between late August and the end of September, including allegedly returning items pulled straight off the shelf for cash using old receipts. Across all seven, police put the total at roughly $1,200 in merchandise and cash.

A Navajo County grand jury indicted her in February on eight felony counts of shoplifting and four counts of fraudulent schemes. She pleaded not guilty on March 5 and was released on her own recognizance, with a court order to stay out of all Walmart locations. She is presumed innocent and the case has not gone to trial.

Records from the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board show an open case that could cost her the certification that lets her work as a cop in this state.

Should an officer facing felony counts keep their peace officer certification while the case plays out?

Via: FOX 10 Phoenix, AZFamily, Navajo County Superior Court records

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#ShowLow #NavajoCounty #WhiteMountains #ArizonaNews #DownInnaDesert

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 4,849
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## Tags

downinnadesert, navajocounty, arizonanews, whitemountains, showlow

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