A woman spent some time behind bars after she was busted with a bag full of bacon and vodka. The City of Roseville, California Police Department shared the news with a cheeky post about the crime on the department’s Facebook page, explaining how they came to arrest the so-called “Vodka & Bacon Bandit.”
According to the post, the arrest was made on June 4, 2026, when police were called to a Bel Air grocery store. But they claim they missed Shanae Watkins, who had allegedly stuffed several packages of bacon and multiple bottles of vodka into her purse before making her getaway.
And that’s not all Watkins stands accused of. Apparently, she tried a similar strategy at another grocery store, and employees called the police, who made it there in time to catch her in the act.
The story quickly went viral and was covered by outlets like local Fox News outlet FOX 40, who also shared the details of the arrest.
The Woman Allegedly Created a Distraction By Paying for Other Items
According to the Facebook post, Watkins stands accused of employing a tactic that many shoplifters use, which involves paying for a few unrelated items at the self-checkout while secretly stealing something else. “In this case, her card was declined, and Bel Air’s loss prevention team had already spotted the vodka-and-bacon stash hidden in her bag,” the Facebook post said. “When confronted, she became confrontational and left the store with the stolen goods.”
After making her getaway, she ended up at a Safeway in Roseville where she pulled the same move. This time the employees called police right away, and the officers who were still taking statements at the Bel Air store quickly made their way to Safeway for the arrest.
California law says that thefts under $950 are considered “petty theft.” However, people who have prior convictions can be charged with a felony, no matter the cost of the items. Unfortunately for Watkins, it sounds like she’s going to be hit with the felony charge as a result of the legal code.
People Made Jokes in the Comments
Crime isn’t often funny, but the people in the comments on the police department’s Facebook post couldn’t help but make light of the situation. “Can I know the size of the shoulder bag,” one person wrote. “I’m just truly impressed at how she carried 6 handles of Tito’s in her shoulder bag and truly thought no one could tell.”
“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, handles of Tito’s, thick bacon that’s hittin’…these are a few of my favorite things,” another commenter wrote in an ode to the show tune “My Favorite Things.”
“Sounds like she was running some underground bacon bloody Mary bar,” another person added.
Crimes Like This Cost More Than They’re Worth
Watkins stands accused of stealing six handles of Tito’s and at least 14 packages of thick-cut bacon. According to the Safeway website, a handle of Tito’s goes for around $27.99. Meanwhile, Safeway has its thick cut bacon listed at a few different amounts depending on the brand and size, with some of them selling for $14.97.
Even with the $167.94 in vodka and $209.58 in bacon that she allegedly tried to get away with, she still would’ve saved money if she’d paid for the items instead of being faced with legal fees, fines, and a new addition to her permanent record, proving yet again that crime really doesn’t pay.