Months of allegedly slipping merchandise past store doors caught up with a 31-year-old Nashville woman this week, as Metro police say they have tied her to more than $15,000 in stolen goods from big-name retailers across the city.
Detectives arrested Kierra Hockett on Thursday, accusing her of a shoplifting spree that investigators say stretches back to July 2025 and hits a lineup of chains that includes Ulta, Sephora, Target, Bath & Body Works and Hibbett Sports. Police say she was booked on 28 outstanding warrants and is being held on a $232,000 bond.
According to a press release from the Metro Nashville Police Department, Organized Retail Crime detectives identified Hockett and filed multiple counts of theft and organized retail crime linked to those incidents. The department says she is also wanted on outstanding charges in several Tennessee jurisdictions and in Calhoun, Georgia.
Charges include forgery and identity theft
As reported by NewsChannel 5, investigators allege Hockett faces six counts of forgery, three counts of identity theft, theft of property and theft of services. Detectives say she also used a North Carolina woman’s identity to rent property and to open an account with Nashville Electric Service.
Part of a broader retail-theft push
The arrest comes as Metro authorities continue a citywide crackdown on serial shoplifting. WSMV reported that the department’s Organized Retail Crime Unit logged 265 arrests in 2025 while working to bundle smaller thefts into larger cases. Hoodline previously covered a similar March arrest in a story about a Lululemon looter bust, illustrating how investigators consolidate incidents across stores to pursue felony charges.
What happens next
Hockett remains in custody while prosecutors review the cases and decide how to proceed in Davidson County and in the other jurisdictions where warrants are outstanding. The warrants are allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Police say detectives will continue working with retail loss-prevention teams as the investigation moves forward. Details were outlined in a Metro Nashville Police Department news release.
