The Iowa Court of Appeals has agreed that Coralville police held two suspected shoplifters for too long after the two women produced receipts proving they’d purchased the goods in question. Two women were stopped by two Coralville cops about two years ago and taken back into the Wal-Mart store where they’d been shopping as the cops suspected the women had taken merchandise from the store without paying for it. No arrest was made — a Wal-Mart clerk on at least three occasions matched the merchandise with the purchase receipts, showing nothing had been stolen. After two-and-a-half hours inside the store, the women were released. The two shoppers sued, arguing they were falsely imprisoned. The court agreed one of the women had raised suspicion by carrying around a bag of already-purchased cosmetics and taking the costmetics out of their wrappings while her friend continued shopping. However, the Court of Appeals has ruled that there is substantial evidence to show the two women were held way too long after they’d proven the goods had been paid for and they hadn’t been shoplifting.
