A 38-year-old East Price Hill woman is facing multiple charges after police say she used children to steal merchandise from a Dick's Sporting Goods store, then led officers on a chase that ended in a crash with several kids still inside her car near Kenwood Towne Centre.
Kianna McMeans appeared in court after police said she fled from officers with children in her car following the alleged theft, according to Local 12. Police said they tried to stop McMeans for the alleged theft, but she fled instead, prompting a short chase that ended when her vehicle crashed near the shopping center. Officers said McMeans had used children to steal merchandise from the store before the pursuit began.
Hamilton County jail booking logs show McMeans was booked into custody on August 6, 2026, facing four formal counts: failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, obstructing official business, endangering children, and contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a child, according to Hamilton County Mugshots. The Dick's Sporting Goods involved sits in Sycamore Plaza along Montgomery Road in Sycamore Township, directly adjoining the roughly 1-million-square-foot Kenwood Towne Centre, per Sibcy Cline REALTORS. It's one of the busiest retail corridors in suburban Cincinnati.
A Long Drive From East Price Hill
East Price Hill, listed as McMeans' residence in booking records, is an urban neighborhood on Cincinnati's West Side located roughly 15 miles southwest of the suburban Kenwood shopping corridor, according to the City of Cincinnati. That distance underscores how far the alleged chain of events traveled — from a West Side neighborhood to a high-traffic suburban retail hub — before ending in a crash.
It remains unclear exactly how many children were in the vehicle, their ages, or whether any of them were injured in the crash. The total value of merchandise allegedly taken from the store has also not been disclosed, and the dossier of court and booking records reviewed for this story does not specify the bond conditions set during McMeans' initial court appearance.
Potential Felony Exposure Under Ohio Law
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2921.331, willfully fleeing or eluding a police officer after receiving a signal to stop can escalate to a third-degree felony if the operation creates a substantial risk of serious physical harm to persons or property, carrying a potential sentence of nine months to five years in prison, per Ohio Laws. State law also mandates that any prison term for a felony fleeing conviction be served consecutively to sentences imposed on any accompanying charges, according to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission — a rule intended to deter drivers from leading police on pursuits that put others at risk.
A felony fleeing conviction also triggers a mandatory class two driver's license suspension ranging from three years to a lifetime ban, with no eligibility for limited driving privileges during the first three years, per the Dominy Law Firm. Separately, Ohio Revised Code Section 2919.24 makes it a first-degree misdemeanor for an adult to aid or induce a minor into delinquent acts such as retail theft, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine per count — and each distinct instance can be charged separately. Child endangerment charges under Ohio Revised Code Section 2919.22 apply when a caregiver creates a substantial risk to a minor's health or safety, a misdemeanor that can be elevated to a felony if serious physical harm results.
A Prior Case From 2014
Hamilton County court records and local media reports show McMeans was previously arrested in April 2014 on two counts of aggravated robbery following a recorded group assault at Cincinnati's Winton Terrace housing complex, where a judge set her bond at $50,000, according to Local 12's earlier coverage. During those 2014 proceedings, defense counsel noted that McMeans was the sole provider for six children.
The case adds to a broader pattern loss-prevention experts have flagged nationally. A 2023 National Retail Federation survey found U.S. retailers lost $112.1 billion to theft and shrinkage in 2022, with loss-prevention teams reporting a rise in multi-offender theft schemes and recruited juvenile accomplices, according to SupplyChainBrain. Inventory shrink reached 1.6% of total retail sales nationwide that year.
