A man known to Ruston Police as a habitual shoplifter was arrested again last week after a store reported he had stolen merchandise and left the scene walking.
Dontrell Traman Williams, 36, formerly of Avondale, was arrested on April 18 after officers spotted him on Celebrity Drive in possession of stolen items from the store.
At about 2:30 p.m., a store on the North I-20 Service Road reported staff recognized Williams and saw him leave the store with merchandise.
Officers found Williams in possession of a backpack and several Febreze plug-in scent boosters stolen at the store. He was also questioned regarding a shoplifting complaint at a store on South Vienna Street earlier. Williams had been seen on video taking several items as well as a shopping cart from the store, leaving a backpack behind.
That backpack, which was also stolen, contained a criminal summons Williams had been issued previously.
While Williams was being taken to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center, he made the statement that he did not believe it was theft if it was taken from a business.
William had been previously barred from the Service Road store. Ruston Police have arrested him at least four times in 2026.
He was booked for two counts of theft by shoplifting and entering premises after being forbidden. Bail was set at $7,500.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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