County Market Theft Report In Winfield Ends Without Charges After Alcohol Located Inside Store
- John Eads
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Winfield, Mo. — A Winfield woman says she was falsely accused of stealing alcohol from County Market after store staff contacted law enforcement, only for the bottle to later be located inside the business.
According to CAD notes obtained by Lincoln CountyWatch, Lincoln County dispatch received a reported theft call from County Market on May 12 regarding a customer who allegedly walked out with alcohol approximately 20 minutes earlier.
The woman, identified in the CAD notes as Emily Ann Vilcek, later posted publicly about the incident, saying she entered the store with her baby to shop for flowers and groceries. She said she picked up a bottle of alcohol while shopping but decided against purchasing it and placed it back before leaving the store.
Vilcek said deputies later arrived at her home accusing her of stealing the alcohol. She told officers she did not take anything and explained where she believed the bottle had been placed inside the store.
CAD notes state the bottle was later located by store staff “behind something there” inside the business. The call was ultimately cleared with no criminal charges filed.
Vilcek told Lincoln CountyWatch she was upset by how the situation was handled and claimed she attempted to contact the store afterward seeking an apology. She also alleged she was hung up on during one of the calls.
Lincoln CountyWatch reached out to County Market store manager John for comment. John stated he was not present during the incident and did not know the full details but was aware of the situation. He stated he planned to follow up with the responding officer regarding the incident. When asked about allegations that an employee cursed at Vilcek or hung up on her, John stated he doubted that occurred.
CAD notes also indicate deputies advised Vilcek to contact an attorney regarding a possible civil matter because “no criminal action took place.”
No charges have been filed in connection to the incident.
If corrections are needed, please contact Lincoln CountyWatch directly. Lincoln CountyWatch is an independent media outlet and is not affiliated with any law enforcement agency or government entity.
Story by John Eads
Lincoln CountyWatch
Sources: CAD Notes, public statements, interviews conducted by Lincoln CountyWatch.