Local Beauty Shopping Spree Ends in Assault Charges

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Last Friday, TTPD Detective Jennifer Billingsley was in the right place at the right time. Thirty-eight-year-old Tramika Scoby of Preston, Louisiana, was caught red-handed walking out of Ulta Beauty without paying for items in her possession. Fortunately, Detective Billingsley didn’t take “I’m not going to jail” as a free pass or a valid reason for Scoby to be released. Scoby thought she could bulldoze herself away from Detective Billingsley. Well, Scoby now sits at the Bi-State, facing theft, Assault of a Peace Officer, and Resisting arrest and as an outstanding warrant in Gregg County. You have to read the complete press release. The summary is don’t mess with Texarkana Police Department’s Detective Billingsley.

Courtesy FB/texarkanapolice

Texarkana Texas Police Department
Last Friday afternoon, Detective Jennifer Billingsley stopped by Ulta Beauty to follow up on a previous theft case she’d been assigned. When she walked in the front door, an employee told her that she believed that a woman was shoplifting in the store at that moment. The employee had seen her putting items into her purse while walking around the store. After calling for a patrol unit to be dispatched to assist her, Detective Billingsley waited by the front door to give the woman a chance to pay for the items before leaving – in case the whole thing was a big misunderstanding.

As 38-year-old Tramika Scoby of Preston, Louisiana, was about to head out the exit (after passing the cash registers without paying for anything), Detective Billingsley identified herself as a police officer and asked her to step to the side so she could speak to her. Scoby refused and continued toward the door. Billingsley grabbed hold of Scoby’s crossbody purse strap to try to keep her from leaving. However, she started to pull away and lowered her head so the purse would slide off her body. As she continued out the door, Detective Billingsley then grabbed her shirt while Scoby repeatedly told her that she was “not going back to jail”. Because of her size (6-4 and 330 pounds), she was pretty much able to drag Detective Billingsley across the parking lot – but the detective wasn’t letting go. Once Scoby got to her truck, she managed to get in and then tried to drive off as Detective Billingsley was fighting to turn off the ignition. To avoid being run over, she had to stand in the open door of the truck. She was finally able to force the gear shift into park, pull the keys out of the ignition, and toss them from the truck. That’s when Officers Cole Bredenberg and Brady Cooper arrived and were able to help take Scoby into custody.
After everything was over, Detective Billingsley realized that she’d somehow hurt her left hand while trying to fight with Scoby to keep her from getting away. Thankfully, her injuries appear to be minor.

When the officers checked Scoby’s purse, they found $912 worth of perfume and cologne. They also learned that she had a felony theft warrant out of Gregg County, Texas. She was transported to the Bi-State Jail. In addition to the theft warrant, she was also charged with Assault on a Peace Officer, Resisting Arrest, and Theft of Property Under $2,500 (with two or more previous convictions). Her bond for the three new charges related to this incident total $110,000. No bond was set on the warrant.
Great job, Jennifer!!!
#texarkanapolice