A Rohnert Park woman is accused of stealing merchandise from local Target stores while already facing charges in a forgery case involving the theft of at least $18,000 in donations from Dogwood Animal Rescue, police said Tuesday.
Jennifer Chenier, 37, is charged with six counts of misdemeanor petty theft in connection with a string of incidents between July and November, according to Sonoma County Superior Court records. They occurred while she was on pretrial release for the felony forgery case, which the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office filed in February.
The new charges were filed last Friday and came after Chenier was arrested twice this month, Santa Rosa police announced.
Chenier is suspected of taking jewelry, clothing and household goods from Targets in Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park without scanning them at self-checkout registers, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Patricia Seffens said.
Investigators first discovered the thefts on Nov. 11 when Rohnert Park police arrested Chenier on suspicion of stealing $201 worth of merchandise that day. Further investigation showed another $408 in merchandise was taken Nov. 1 and Nov. 6, Santa Rosa police said.
Shortly after, Target investigators reported she’d stolen another $428 in merchandise from the store on Santa Rosa Avenue during three incidents in July and August.
Chenier posted bail after her Nov. 11 arrest but police rearrested her on Nov. 18 outside the Sonoma County courthouse where she had appeared in the forgery case. Investigators searched her home and found suspected drugs and a sweatshirt believed to be stolen in July, police said.
Court records show Chenier had opted out of having a preliminary hearing in the forgery case just before her arrest.
In that case, officials with Dogwood Animal Rescue earlier this year discovered they never received donor checks delivered to their rented mailbox at a UPS store on Fulton Road. The Sonoma County-based, volunteer-driven nonprofit provides medical care, foster placement and adoption services.
The checks instead had been deposited into an account belonging to someone not associated with the organization, Dogwood officials found.
“Those funds could have been used for us to help animals with extensive medical treatment and getting our animals medically cleared for adoption,” Charlotte Pearce, a Dogwood co-founder and treasurer, said Wednesday. “We are a volunteer led animal rescue and depend on our donors support to continue helping animals. This theft was deeply impactful.”
Chenier worked at the UPS store and investigators say police recovered 30 donation checks and other stolen mail after searching her home and vehicle.
Also discovered was a short-barreled Colt M4 fully automatic military assault rifle and a silencer. The rifle had no serial number and may have been meant for military and law-enforcement use, police said.
Prosecutors charged Chenier with 19 counts, including forgery and grand theft. She has pleaded not guilty.
She’s scheduled to return to court Dec. 2 in both cases.
Dogwood volunteers have attended each of Chenier’s court appearances in large numbers and Pearce said “the latest news of her stealing from others is very disturbing.”
You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com.