Lima woman sentenced for dollar store robbery, injuring employee

J Swygart, The Lima News, Ohio
·2 min read

Jun. 3—LIMA — A Lima woman with an admitted substance abuse addiction was sentenced Thursday to a minimum of two years in prison for robbing a dollar store and then dragging the store's clerk through the parking lot with her car.

Shanita Harvey, who told Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Reed she was five months pregnant and in desperate need of some type of rehab for her drug abuse, was sentenced to prison in large part due to her string of prior criminal convictions and her failure to abide by community control requirements.

Harvey, 33, was on probation when she entered the Dollar General Store in Lima's Northland Plaza on the afternoon of Aug. 13, 2001, and attempted to leave without paying for merchandise.

Deputies from the Allen County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the business and were met by store manager Eric Forsyth and employee Rachel Dawson. Dawson was holding a bloody towel to her nose, court records show.

She said a male and female had entered the store and began selecting items and placing them in a large gift bag. The male exited the store and pulled a black Dodge Stratus near the front of the store before climbing into the passenger's seat.

The woman, later identified as Harvey, exited without making any attempt to pay for items inside her bag. Dawson followed the woman outside and found her entering the Dodge Stratus. The store employee opened the door of the vehicle and reportedly told Harvey to return to the store to pay for the items.

At that point Harvey began driving through the parking lot with Dawson still hanging onto the door. The store employee eventually fell and struck her face on the pavement, according to court documents.

Harvey on Thursday apologized to Dawson.

"I had a drug problem at the time. I was not trying to harm this lady. I apologize to the victim, I apologize to the court and I apologize to my family," Harvey said.

Reed said Harvey will be eligible to request a judicial release from prison after serving six months.