Hunter
09/17/24
An Iowa City woman wanted on a warrant for allegedly stealing laundry was arrested Monday night after a reported grocery store theft.
According to police, 46-year-old Tanya Oberlander was at the 1st Avenue HyVee at approximately 8:40pm and selected items for her cart. She then allegedly passed all points of purchase and made her way to the parking lot.
Officers caught up with Oberlander on Muscatine Avenue with the unbagged items. No receipt was produced for the items, and she indicated a desire to just return the items.
A search incident to arrest allegedly turned up a glass pipe in Oberlander’s backpack.
She was already wanted on a warrant from an incident on August 26th, where Oberlander allegedly took nearly $300 worth of clothes from an unattended dryer at the East Bloomington Street Laundromania. She and another suspect…identified as 60-year-old transient Ronald Harmon… reportedly dressed themselves in the stolen clothing and took the rest of the clothes from the dryer.
Oberlander faces charges of 3rd and 5th degree theft; if convicted on both counts, she could be sentenced to up to 25 months in jail.
Harmon faces a maximum of 30 days in jail if convicted on a 5th degree theft charge.