Mother Who Escaped with Toddler After Shoplifting at Walmart Captured a Week Later, According to Manatee County Sheriff

Key Information:

• Incident Location: Walmart, 6225 State Road 64 East, Bradenton, FL
• Date of Incident: August 5
• Arrest Date: Tuesday evening
• Suspect: Courtney Stanley, 27
• Child: Amara, 2 years old
• Charges: Aggravated battery, fleeing to elude, petit theft, child abuse, child neglect, obstruction, resisting without violence

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Authorities have apprehended a woman who fled from Manatee County deputies with her 2-year-old child following a theft investigation at a local Walmart. The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Courtney Stanley, sped away from the store with her daughter, Amara, unrestrained in the vehicle during the incident on August 5, according to a news release from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

While escaping, Stanley struck a deputy, knocking him to the ground, which allowed her to evade arrest temporarily. Over the course of the week that followed, detectives from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office discovered that Stanley had traveled to Illinois before returning to Florida.

On Tuesday evening, she was finally located and arrested in Hillsborough County. Thankfully, her daughter Amara is now safely in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families. In light of her actions, Stanley faces multiple charges including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, fleeing to elude, petit theft with two prior convictions, child abuse without bodily harm, child neglect without bodily harm, obstruction, and resisting without violence.