Two Arrested, One Wanted in Discount Store Theft Investigation

HAMMOND (February 11, 2026)- The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO) has arrested two women and is searching for a third, in connection with several discount store thefts that occurred last summer.

Paula Forney, 47, has been booked on one count of Felony Theft, while Chekita White, 51, has been issued a summons for Theft by Shoplifting and for Accessory to Obstruction of Justice. Forney also faces unrelated drug and fugitive charges.

Lisa Tate, 57, is wanted on one count of Felony Theft.

In June 2025, TPSO began investigating at least two theft incidents at the Dollar General store on South Airport Road in Hammond involving three black females entering the store with one distracting the clerk and the other two collecting large amounts of merchandise and soap detergent in a large tote. All three eventually left the store without paying for anything and drove away in a silver SUV with paper tags that were not on file with the OMV.

Tips from the public helped identify Forney and Tate as suspects in the case at the time, but finding them was a challenge.

Last week, an unrelated drug investigation resulted in Forney and White being located in the suspect vehicle from the June theft case. The pair were confirmed as the suspects seen in the surveillance images from the summer and were taken into custody. However, Tate remains at large.

Sheriff Gerald Sticker encourages anyone with information about Tate’s whereabouts to contact Det. Earl McFarland at 985-514-8181.

If you’d prefer to share information anonymously, you can do so through Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa’s tip line at1-800-554-5245 or visit www.tangicrimestoppers.com and click on the P3Tips icon or Submit A Tip!

You may be eligible for a cash reward.

TPSO Public Information Office, pio@tpso.org