OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — An Overland Park woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday in Johnson County Court to theft after police found a large volume of stolen goods inside her home in the Spring of 2015.
Kelli Jo Bauer, 46, was charged with one count of felony theft of goods valued greater than $100,000. That charge was amended to theft of goods valued between $25,000 and $100,000. She also pleaded guilty to two lesser theft charges of $1,000 in stolen goods. Authorities say Bauer stole items and then sold them on Facebook swap-and-shops or through her online store “My Retro Baby, LLC.”
Police began investigating Bauer after they received information that she was advertising the sale of high-end women’s clothing on Facebook swap-and-shop sites. They say they had been watching her activity for a while. Then, after arresting her for shoplifting, police obtained a search warrant for her home in the 13700 block of Horton Drive.
In the affidavit leading to her arrest, police said they contacted Bauer in response to an advertisement on Facebook for the sale of high-end women’s clothing. When they went to Bauer’s home, she showed them her merchandise in an upstairs bedroom. The bedroom contained a clothing rack, similar to one found in department stores, detectives said. Bauer reportedly told them she was a compulsive shopper and told them the reason she was selling the items was because she had lost weight. Police say many of the items were sized small and medium and still contained stickers and price tags from the stores. In addition to the clothing, she also brought up an arm full of purses.
Sentencing is set for July 20.
