Gary Woman Charged After Police Link Her To Two Burr Street Truck Stop Wallet Thefts
Shantay Monique Shanks, 47, is facing two felony theft charges after Gary Police say she was identified on gas station surveillance video using credit and debit cards from wallets that truck drivers reported missing while they slept inside their semi cab areas at Burr Street truck stops.
According to probable cause affidavits, on September 21 into the early morning hours of September 22, 2025, an over-the-road truck driver parked at the Truck Stop of America (TA) located at 2510 Burr Street went to sleep in his semi cab area. At 3:49 a.m., he received an alert from his Citibank app advising of a declined $102.54 purchase at the Citgo gas station located at 3499 Grant Street. He then observed that his black trifold wallet was missing. The wallet contained multiple credit and debit cards.
Gary Police obtained video footage from the Citgo gas station. Officers observed a female wearing a green camouflaged hooded style jacket and a white and black head scarf at the counter holding a handful of credit cards and swiping, inserting, and tapping each card to see if the payment would be accepted. One transaction was successful before additional attempts were declined. Officers recognized the female from previous investigations involving thefts of wallets from truck drivers at truck stops and identified her as Shantay Monique Shanks through facial recognition software conducted by the Gary Police Real Time Crime Center.
In a second incident, on September 23, 2025, another truck driver who had stopped for rest at the Pilot Truck Stop located at 2501 Burr Street discovered his brown wallet missing from inside his semi cab area. The wallet contained his commercial driver’s license, $180 in cash, a NetSpend debit card, and his social security card. Around 6:00 a.m., he received an alert from NetSpend advising that an attempt for $25.00 was made using his card at the Shell gas station located at 2900 Burr Street.
Officers reviewed video clips from the Shell gas station and observed a female wearing a green camouflaged hooded jacket and white and black head wrap standing at the counter attempting to swipe multiple debit and credit cards at the pay terminal. The payment attempts were not accepted. The female walked into the restroom, returned to the counter, made another attempt, then exited the gas station and got into a gray vehicle parked at a pump.
Investigators noted the clothing worn during the Shell incident matched what the female wore during the TA truck stop incident the day prior. Officers compared department and BMV photos to the video and determined Shanks was the person attempting to use the stolen cards.
In both cases, the truck drivers stated they did not give anyone permission to take their wallets or use their cards. None of the property was recovered. Court records show Shanks has a prior theft conviction in Porter Superior Court dated September 2017.
Lodged in the Lake County Jail on January 29,2026.
Charges filed on January 27-28,2026:
• Theft – Defendant Has Prior Conviction For Either Theft Or Conversion (Level 6 Felony)
• Theft – Defendant Has Prior Conviction For Either Theft Or Conversion (Level 6 Felony)
