Police: Woman Charged After She Tried to Bite Her Way Out of Walmart

A 23-year-old woman is facing multiple charges after police say she tried to get away with stealing baby formula from Walmart, and officers discovered she had a warrant out for her arrest.

Bernadette Ricks, with a last known address in Kenosha, was charged Monday in Racine County Circuit Court with one misdemeanor count each of battery, retail theft, and obstructing an officer for the incident at Walmart. If convicted, she faces up to 27 months in jail and/or up to $30,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint, Mount Pleasant police were called Saturday to Walmart, 3049 Oakes Road, for a report of retail theft and a fight between two women and store security.

When officers arrived, security personnel said Ricks and another woman were caught trying to steal baby formula from the store. When security approached them just before the pair left the store, Ricks started punching one of the security staffers, grabbed him by the neck and bit him on the shoulder leaving a bruise and visible teeth marks, the complaint reads.

Officers took Ricks into custody, and when they ran her name, they also discovered there was a warrant for her arrest stemming from an incident last October in the City of Racine.

Ricks was also charged Monday with one misdemeanor count each of criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct for allegedly breaking out the window of a car Ricks may have thought belonged to a man with whom she had a brief affair. If convicted of these charges, Ricks faces an additional year in jail and/or up to $11,000 in fines.

According to this criminal complaint, Racine police were called Oct. 7 to the 1800 block of 6th Street for a report of a woman who had just smashed out the back window of a vehicle using a car jack.

When officers arrived, a man told them he was inside playing the drums when a neighbor told him about the window. The witness told the man he saw Ricks breaking out the window and that she had already driven away in a white car. The man told police that he had a brief affair with Ricks while sorting out some marital issues and that she was 8 months pregnant but couldn't tell the man if the baby was his or not, the complaint reads.

The car Ricks allegedly damaged did not belong to the man, but police say he does have a car that's similar and that was damaged by spray paint at his home in Caledonia. Police say the man told officers he never had issues with property damage until he got involved with Ricks.

Officers ran the plate of the white vehicle, but the owner - a relative of Ricks - said Ricks left the car in the middle of the street and left the area on foot not more than 20 minutes before officers arrived.

Ricks was assigned a $300 cash bond for the incident at Walmart and a $200 cash bond for the incident last October. She is next due in court for both cases on July 11.