MORGANTOWN — Two Virginia women are behind bars after being accused of stealing thousands in liquor from a strip club.
Tiffany N. Gillespie, 22 and Miranda Thompson, 20, both of Roanoke, Virginia, are charged with grand larceny and burglary.
A Monongalia County Sheriff’s Deputy was called for a welfare check at Southern X-Posure, on Blue Horizon Drive, at about 6 a.m. Friday because a woman was flagging down cars in the road, according to court documents.
Several liquor bottles with various amounts of liquor and tops that are commonly used in bars were visible in a gray Mazda, later identified as Thompson’s vehicle. A window on the vehicle was broken, a criminal complaint stated.
The club seemed like it was open and a deputy saw a woman running inside, but the door was locked. Another deputy caught Gillespie and Thompson attempting to run out the back door so the two ran back inside and locked the door and tried to escape through another exit, the complaint said.
Both women surrendered and were detained and the club’s manager was contacted and said the two weren’t supposed to be inside. The manager said he orders liquor for the club and that the bottles in Thompson’s car belonged to the club.
He said “well over a thousand and possible several thousand” in liquor was missing along with $400 in cash from the cash register.
A walk-through of the club showed several broken mirrors, several large holes in the wall, lockers knocked over, broken bottles and damaged electronic equipment. The manager said the repairs would probably cost several thousand dollars.
The complaint does not make it clear if the two women were responsible for the damage.
A side door was broken and the manager said that was probably how the two got into the club.
Both women were arraigned in Monongalia County Magistrate Court on Friday by Magistrate Hershel Mullins. Bond was set at $30,000 and the two are being held in North Central Regional Jail.
Tweet Will Dean @WillDean_DP; wdean@domininionpost.com
