BENTON – A Paducah woman was arrested Thursday night on shoplifting charges following identification of a photo posted by the Benton Police Department on their Facebook page.
The police department began investigating a report of shoplifting that occurred at Scents n More Boutique, located in Benton. After posting the security image to their Facebook page, Penny Baird-Shemwell, 50 of Paducah was quickly identified and a search warrant was obtained against her. Baird-Shemwell turned herself in at the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office shortly before 7:00pm on Thursday.
Baird-Shemwell was arrested and charged with Theft by Unlawful Taking under $500 and booked into the Marshall County Detention Center. She has since been released on a $500 bond.
Baird-Shemwell was released from prison in 2012 following a six-year sentence for felony shoplifting and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. That conviction came shortly after the death of her 81-year-old husband, Dr. Frank Shemwell, who died in a house fire on July 24, 2006.
The death of Dr. Shemwell was ruled a homicide and the case still remains open. While Baird-Shemwell was questioned by Paducah Police about the circumstances of her husband’s death, no charges were filed against her. The case was recently featured on an episode of “Cold Justice” which airs on TNT.