Chance shoplifting call leads to unrelated double arrest at La Grande grocery store
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, July 12th, 2024 in Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – At approximately 6:30 p.m. on the evening of July 10, 2024, the La Grande Police Department responded to a shoplifting call at 2111 Adams Avenue, La Grande Safeway. In an odd instance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time (or potentially right place at the right time), two individuals, completely unrelated to the original shoplifting call, ended up being arrested. According to the LGPD, Chad Larven Proffit (51) and Taylor Joenne Prince (26) both happened to be in the store at the time and both had reasons for arrest.
While on location, officers contacted Profit (a transient and registered sex offender) and learned he had not updated his sex offender registry since December 6th of 2023. Proffit cooperated with officers but was arrested for Failure to Register As A Sex Offender.
Officers also then arrested Prince on charges of Burglary II, Theft II – Shoplifting, and Criminal Mischief II. This arrest was, again, unrelated to the original shoplifting call but actually due to an incident that occurred on May 26. Officers had learned via a previous investigation that Prince, with the assistance of some accomplices, had broken into the can recycling center at the Safeway back in May and stolen several hundred dollars’ worth of cans in large bags.
The official press logs for both the arrests are as follows:
CHAD LAVERN PROFITT, DOB 06/12/1973, 202 S 12TH ST, WAS ARRESTED BY LA GRANDE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR FAILURE TO REGISTER AS A SEX OFFENDER. REFER LG24-0827.
TAYLOR JOENNE PRINCE, DOB 08-14-1997, ADDRESS UNKNOWN WAS ARRESTED BY LA GRANDE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR BURGLARY II, THEFT II – SHOPLIFTING, AND CRIMINAL MISCHIEF II, REFER LG24-0634.
