NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WZZM) - A mother-daughter team suspected of stealing hundreds of cans of baby formula across Michigan to resell are being charged with recent thefts from a Meijer store in Norton Shores.
Sue Surian, 55, and her 29-year-old daughter Lisa are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Muskegon District Court on felony charges of first-degree retail fraud and organized retail crime.
The two have quite a bit of experience in shoplifting, according to court records.
Both were convicted in Montcalm County of shoplifting from a Walmart store in Greenville and sentenced to six months’ probation. A week after the Oct. 27 sentencing, Norton Shores police released surveillance photos of two women suspected of stealing more than $1,000 worth of baby formula.
It did not take long for investigators to identify the Stanton women as suspects in the Norton Shores thefts.
Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Tim Maat said the pair stole between 15 and 30 cans of baby food formula at a time, often concealing it in garbage cans. Surveillance video from a theft at the Meijer store in Norton Shores helped lead to their arrest. Maat says the thefts are part of a disturbing national trend.
“The attempts have been to get baby formula and to sell it nationwide,” Maat said. ” And this is not a situation where a young mother is struggling to find enough formula for their infant child. It’s being stolen in volume so that it can be resold for criminal reasons.”
Maat says the pair sold the formula stolen in Muskegon County for $2,000, charging $5 for the smaller cans and $8 for larger sizes.