Tattoo identifies alleged thief who gave Guelph police a fake name

Guelph police say an alleged thief’s unique tattoo helped identify her after she gave officers a fake name on Monday evening.

Police were called to a business in the plaza at Speedvale Avenue and Stevenson Street just before 7 p.m. for reports of a theft in progress.

A woman had walked out of the store with a shopping cart full of stolen merchandise despite being followed by staff, police said in a news release.

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She was then stopped by responding officers and taken into custody.

According to police, she gave officers a fake name twice but officers spotted a tattoo on her. That tattoo was then compared against police records, which helped positively identify her.

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Police spokesperson Scott Tracey said when people are arrested, their tattoos are photographed and documented.

“In this case, a query was done about a specific tattoo the female had and a match was found in our records which allowed officers to determine her true identity,” he said in an email.

A 35-year-old woman has been charged with theft under $5,000 and obstructing police.

She will make a court appearance in September.