Around 1:55 PM on October 6, 2024, officers with the Mount Laurel Police Department were dispatched to the Wegmans at 2 Centerton Road on a report of a female shoplifter who was being detained in the loss prevention office. Officer Michael Hampton arrived on scene around 2:01 PM and walked into the loss prevention office. He made contact with the alleged shoplifter, who was identified as Meghan Lyons. The loss prevention employee told Officer Hampton that Meghan allegedly attempted to exit the store with a full shopping cart after not paying for anything. Meghan responded by stating that her applications for food stamps had been rejected multiple times. Officer Hampton read Meghan her Miranda rights, and she agreed to answer questions. She told the officer that she had been arrested before, and that she did not have the money to pay for all the items in her shopping cart. She also claimed that she attempted to steal these items so that she could feed her children. Meghan was placed in handcuffs by the other officer who arrived on scene to assist and escorted to the patrol car. Officer Hampton subsequently transported Meghan to the Mount Laurel Police Department for further processing. She was charged with shoplifting under 2C:20-11B(1). Court records indicate that as of May 7, 2025, her case is still pending in court. Meghan was later arrested again on different charges in Pemberton Township, New Jersey on October 27, 2024. ---------------------------------------------- Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Our content is shared for educational and news gathering purposes. We are in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2024, c.16). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.

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