A James City County woman pleaded guilty to felony shoplifting in the York-Poquoson Circuit Court on Thursday.
Ashley Marilyn Lemaster was accused of shoplifting almost $6,000 worth of items, including electronics and clothing, from the Walmart on East Rochambeau Drive in York County in January with the help of her boyfriend, Adam Joel Figueroa.
Lemaster entered into a plea agreement with the prosecution that had one count of conspiracy to commit shoplifting dropped in exchange for her pleading guilty to the felony shoplifting charge.
Additionally, the plea agreement asked the court to withhold making a finding of guilt for a period of two years. This would give Lemaster the opportunity to prove she could stay out of trouble and successfully pay back a significant amount of restitution to Walmart during that time period.
If at the end of two years Lemaster is still in good standing with the law, she will have the charge against her converted to a misdemeanor, allowing her to avoid a felony on her permanent record.
Judge Rich Rizk accepted the plea agreement, setting a date two years from now on which Lemaster will appear again before the court to revisit the matter.
Lemaster will have to begin paying $100 a month back to Walmart beginning in October. She and Figueroa share the burden of paying back a total of $5,948.
Figueroa was sentenced Tuesday to five years in jail for his role in the shoplifting, with all but one month suspended.
Both Figueroa and Lemaster are banned from Walmarts in York County.
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