photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

A Lawrence Police Department patrol vehicle is pictured June 28, 2022.

Two Topeka women were arrested Sunday following an alleged retail crime spree in Lawrence.

Police said in a news release that the women were caught by an officer Sunday evening in a parking lot in southern Lawrence.

Officers were called to Dick’s Sporting Goods on Iowa Street after an employee said the women walked out with a cart full of goods, then sped off. The employee provided a description of the vehicle, and an officer spotted it in the nearby Walmart parking lot.

The officer approached the women and ultimately learned that they also had likely stolen items from a Dillons grocery store. The total value of the recovered items is at least $1,800, making the alleged crime a felony, police said.

The Douglas County Jail’s booking log indicates that Sandra Leann Cecil, 40, and Kimberly Anne Coleman, 39, both of Topeka, were arrested Sunday evening on Iowa Street on suspicion of theft.

The investigation is ongoing.