LaShawn Farmer

A Sanderson woman is in custody charged with a strong-arm robbery early on July 5 in the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter in Macclenny.

LaShawn Farmer, 20, turned herself in to police later that day after returning a wallet and contents belonging to Christine Batten of Baldwin. She told investigators she found the wallet in the parking lot, a version that contradicts statements by two women who were with her at the time.

Amber Fields, 19, and Brooklyn Tilger, 18, both of Middleburg, said Ms. Farmer approached Ms. Batten while the latter was loading groceries into her vehicle about 1:00 am and pulled the wallet from the victim’s pants pocket.

Ms. Batten told Deputy Chris Walker she then chased the suspect to another vehicle, where following a brief struggle, Ms. Farmer slammed a door on her head. She fell to the ground and the second vehicle sped off south on SR 228.

The victim noted the license number and the car was traced to Ms. Fields’ father, who later that morning arranged by phone to bring her and the second witness to the sheriff’s department.

Chief investigator Chuck Brannan said Ms. Fields and Ms. Tilger insisted they were unaware beforehand of the robbery and they will not be charged. A third occupant of the car, believed to be the suspect’s brother Marlin Farmer of Sanderson, is being sought for questioning.

After the incident, the women said they drove Ms. Farmer back to her residence north of Sanderson, and they refused her request to use stolen credit cards in the purse to get cash. The suspect also allegedly threatened to harm them if they cooperated with police.

Investigator Brannan said Ms. Farmer and the others had the evening before been to Jacksonville to watch fireworks, and stopped at Walmart on their way back. Ms. Farmer allegedly spotted Ms. Batten in a checkout line and noted she placed her wallet in her pants pocket.

The Middleburg women said they met the suspect via the MySpace social network.
Sometime Monday morning, Ms. Farmer used identification in the wallet to find Ms. Batten’s residence and left it there, minus an estimated $100, before driving back to Macclenny to the sheriff’s office where she claimed she found it in the parking lot.

“She tried to act like she was a good Samaritan and wanted to return it,” said Investigator Brannan. “We arrested her on the basis of statements by the victim and the two others with her at the time.”

The only discrepancy in Ms. Batten’s statements was she initially believed Ms. Farmer was a male.
The suspect was arrested in February 2009 for aggravated assault and cocaine possession. She also has a record as a juvenile dating back to 2004, including another aggravated assault and fighting while a student at Baker High.