South Bend Woman Arrested in Retail Theft Spree Across Lake and Porter Counties
Merrillville/Valparaiso— Shykel Tenee Farrell, 24, of South Bend, has been charged in both Lake and Porter counties after investigators say she took part in a coordinated retail theft spree on December 14, 2024, that included an armed robbery at Old Navy in Merrillville and a theft at Ulta Beauty in Valparaiso.
According to a probable cause affidavit, police were called to Old Navy on East 80th Avenue in Merrillville after suspects tried to leave the store with a cart of unpaid merchandise valued between $1,000 and $2,000. When an employee stepped in to block the cart, one of the women sprayed pepper spray toward staff before the group fled in a white Ford sedan.
About an hour later, Valparaiso police were dispatched to Ulta Beauty on South Silhavy Road. Employees reported that two women and a man filled orange store bags with fragrance gift sets worth more than $3,200 and left without paying.
Detectives compared surveillance footage from both stores, along with witness accounts and phone records, and identified Farrell as one of the suspects.
Charges Filed – Lake County (Filed 06/09/2025):
• Armed Robbery – F3 Felony 3
• Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon (Attempt to Commit) – F5 Felony 5
• Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon – F5 Felony 5
• Theft – F6 Felony 6
Charges Filed – Porter County (Filed 02/19/2025):
• Theft – F6 Felony 6
Farrell was lodged in the Porter County Jail on September 30, 2025.
Charges may be pending for other suspects identified in these cases.
