The mother of a 22-year-old woman was arrested for helping her daughter evade police after her daughter headbutted a Walmart employee, but the mother said she didn't do anything wrong.
Karen Clark was arrested Sunday on suspicion of obstructing governmental operations. According to police, Sunday afternoon officers responded to a Walmart store on Mall Avenue in reference to a shoplifting compliant from the company. Police said a black female suspect shoplifted merchandise from the business and was taken back to Walmart’s loss prevention office after being caught.
"When officers arrived, they realized it had actually turned into by definition of a robbery, because the female shoplifter had used force against employees to try to leave,” Sgt. Craig Stout of the Fayetteville Police said.
Stout said the police then questioned Clark about where her daughter went after fleeing the store.
While being questioned by investigators, Clark continuously called and texted with the suspect, but would not hand the phone over to authorities at the time, according to the preliminary report. After determining the suspect was Clark’s daughter, police arrested Clark on suspicion of misdemeanor charges.
Clark said she wasn't with her daughter when the incident happened, but she talked to her later.
"She said they were being nice and cooperative, but the one lady came up and got all in her face and she said I just clicked," Clark said, "And I hate it because I said, you shouldn’t have left the baby.”
The two-year-old boy was in a cart being pushed by the daughter. When the woman head butted the employee, the employee fell against the cart knocking the child out onto the ground.
Clark said she hasn't seen her grandson since the incident.
“It really breaks my heart," Clark said, "I’m tore up about it, because he does not deserve that, he does not deserve that at all."
Clark said she spoke with her daughter Wednesday afternoon and she said she was going to turn herself in. Clark said she is ready for all of the commotion to be over.
"We were just shopping at Walmart,” She said.