A Wabasha woman was stopped by a police officer outside a Bloomington Walmart after she allegedly left the store with unpaid merchandise and was found carrying a loaded handgun in her waistband, according to the complaint.
Nadia Shirlene Smith, 18, faces two charges: carrying a pistol without a permit in a public place and theft of movable property without consent.
The incident happened at about 11:18 a.m. on Friday, July 24, 2026, when a Bloomington police officer working overtime at the store was alerted by a loss prevention specialist to a person suspected of under-ringing items at a register.
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According to court records, the officer and the loss prevention specialist stopped Smith as she exited the store, passing all points of sale without paying for all of her items. The officer detained and handcuffed Smith without incident. During a search, the officer saw the magazine of a handgun sticking out from Smith’s front waistband.
The complaint states the officer retrieved a Glock 23 handgun from Smith’s waistband. The gun was not in a holster and had a loaded, extended magazine inserted. The officer ejected the magazine and racked the slide, which caused a round to be ejected from the chamber. The gun and ammunition were inventoried as evidence.
Checks on the firearm showed it was not reported stolen. Smith did not have a permit to carry a firearm and had no prior criminal history, according to the complaint. The merchandise recovered from Smith was returned to the store.
Smith was identified by her Minnesota ID card at the scene. The charges were filed September 3, 2026, in Hennepin County District Court.
About This Charge
Minnesota’s general theft statute is § 609.52. Penalties scale with the dollar value taken: more than $500 is a gross misdemeanor, more than $1,000 is a five-year felony and more than $5,000 is a 10-year felony. Theft of a firearm, or a theft of more than $35,000 by swindle or another listed method, carries up to 20 years. Burglary is charged separately under § 609.582.
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Jurisdictional Context
Hennepin County is Minnesota’s most populous jurisdiction. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office handles felony prosecutions across Minneapolis and 45 surrounding cities; the Fourth Judicial District presides over felony arraignments and trials at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.
