Body‑camera footage now circulating online shows a chaotic scene inside the Sephora at Mayfair Mall, where a Milwaukee woman wrestled with officers after security said she tried to roll out with nearly $900 in unpaid merchandise on Dec. 3, 2023. Instead of prison, 31‑year‑old Charlee Chappell and her associate, 35‑year‑old Davoughna Haley, walked out of court in March 2026 with probation, a result that has stirred fresh debate over how far loss‑prevention stops and police responses should go inside crowded retail stores.
Body‑cam video captures scuffle and taser grab
The body‑cam clip, posted by Midwest Safety, shows a loss‑prevention worker confronting a woman who had tucked store items into a newborn's stroller before heading for the exit. As officers move in, the footage shows an arresting officer's camera getting knocked loose, the woman striking the officer in the head, and then grabbing the officer's taser after it fails to bring her down. The struggle plays out in the middle of the Sephora at Mayfair Mall, located at 2500 North Mayfair Road in Wauwatosa, while shoppers mill nearby.
Prosecutors say retail theft spiraled into violence
According to TMJ4, Chappell was inside the store on Dec. 3, 2023, when a loss‑prevention employee spotted her placing merchandise into the stroller, then followed her as she tried to leave. Prosecutors charged Chappell with battery of an officer along with retail theft after the confrontation escalated. Haley, who was with her, faced a misdemeanor retail‑theft count. TMJ4 reports that juries ultimately found both women guilty and that the haul at issue was valued at just under $900.
What state law says
Wisconsin’s retail‑theft law ties the severity of charges to the value of the goods involved, with higher totals opening the door to felony counts. The statute also outlines civil remedies for merchants in addition to criminal penalties. See Wis. Stat. § 943.50 for the retail‑theft provisions, along with related battery sections in the Wisconsin State Law Library that increase penalties when the victim is an on‑duty officer. Those rules help explain why prosecutors paired a battery charge with the theft allegation after the struggle at the mall.
Probation sentences spark local debate
Per TMJ4, Chappell received three years of probation instead of a combined three and a half years of prison and extended supervision, while Haley was given one year of probation in place of time in a reintegration center. Both sentences followed jury convictions, and the raw body‑cam video has continued to gain views online. The outcome has renewed local conversations about where to draw the line in loss‑prevention encounters and how officers should handle volatile arrests inside busy shopping centers.
