BEDFORD — A Bedford woman with a lengthy history of theft convictions was arrested Tuesday morning after Walmart asset protection staff caught her skip-scanning items, leading police to discover methamphetamine and a cocktail of prescription narcotics hidden inside her keychain.
Talia N. Blake, 44, was taken into custody on June 16, 2026, at the Bedford Walmart. She is currently lodged in the Lawrence County Jail on a slate of felony and misdemeanor charges, including theft with a prior conviction, possession of meth, possession of a Schedule 3 controlled substance, possession of a Schedule 4 controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and maintaining a common nuisance.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Bedford Police Officer Zakry E. Brooking, emergency dispatchers received a call from Walmart at approximately 10:27 a.m. regarding a theft in progress.
Upon arriving at the store, Officer Brooking was escorted to the asset protection office, where security associates were detaining Blake.
Store security informed the officer that they had been tracking Blake closely via closed-circuit television for roughly three hours. Throughout her prolonged shopping trip, Blake was seen grabbing numerous items, ditching some in random aisles, and skip-scanning merchandise at a self-checkout register before attempting to exit the storefront.
When loss prevention staff intercepted Blake and asked if she had any stolen merchandise hidden inside her personal bag, she reportedly asked them, “Do you want opened or unopened items?” She then reached into her bag and handed over a can of WD-40 alongside several unopened cosmetics.
Before being turned over to the police, Blake was ordered to sign a formal Trespass Notification form, permanently banning her from returning to the retail property.
As Officer Brooking placed Blake under arrest for shoplifting, he requested her bag to conduct a standard search incident to arrest. Blake immediately attempted to pull her keys out of the bag, but the officer instructed her to leave them inside.
The reason for her haste became clear moments later. Attached to Blake’s keychain, Officer Brooking discovered a small yellow tin container.
Inside that tin, police recovered a cache of illicit substances:
- A clear plastic baggie filled with a white, crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
- Two orange round pills identified as Buprenorphine (Suboxone), a Schedule 3 controlled substance.
- Four orange round pills identified as Clonazepam (Klonopin), a Schedule 4 controlled substance.
- Two unidentified white rectangular pills and a partial round pill were seized for further laboratory testing.
Deep inside the bag, the officer also uncovered a pink plastic tube containing a crystal residue that field-tested positive for methamphetamine, as well as an additional assortment of stolen Walmart items.
Walmart management successfully recovered all of their merchandise, generating a product receipt for the stolen goods that totaled $147.18 before tax.
While a theft of this dollar amount is typically categorized as a misdemeanor infraction in Indiana, a state court records background check revealed that Blake has multiple prior convictions for theft on her record. Under Indiana law, having a prior theft conviction automatically elevates a standard shoplifting charge to a higher-level criminal felony.
Blake was transported directly to the Lawrence County Security Center, where she was remanded into the custody of the Lawrence County Sheriff without incident. The recovered narcotics and drug paraphernalia were photographed, logged, and secured inside the Bedford Police Department evidence locker.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
