2 people arrested for suspected retail theft, drug possession in Lake Hallie Sunday

LAKE HALLIE, Wis. (WEAU) - Two people are in custody after Lake Hallie Police responded to a report of retail theft on Sunday at Wal-Mart.

The Lake Hallie Police Department said that 43-year-old Shawn Banck of Chippewa Falls and 33-year-old Hope Jensen of Bloomer were arrested Sunday.

According to police, they responded to a robbery in progress at the Lake Hallie Wal-Mart when a red vehicle was seen fleeing the area. When police tried to stop the vehicle on Commercial Boulevard, the driver accelerated and then crashed into the ditch at 114th Street and 16th Avenue, just north of Melby Street in Lake Hallie and about a mile and a half away from the Wal-Mart. A search of the vehicle found a pair of stolen tennis shoes, a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The driver, Banck, was taken into custody and recommended for charges of possession of meth, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, fleeing an officer and retail theft.

Banck was taken to a hospital for treatment of suspected ingestion of drugs. Jensen, who was with Banck at Wal-Mart, had an outstanding warrant in Chippewa County and was taken into custody for the warrant for contempt of court. Both are in custody awaiting formal charges from the Chippewa County District Attorney’s Office.