An Oxford woman has been arrested on multiple charges after law enforcement said she threatened employees at a local Dollar General store.
Izard County Sheriff Charley Melton reported that deputies detained 51-year-old Okiema Window on three counts of first-degree terroristic threatening and one count of criminal trespass.
According to court documents, deputies responded to the store shortly before 10 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6, following a trespassing complaint. Investigators learned that Window and her son, both previously barred from entering the store, had refused to leave. Employees told law enforcement that she reacted to being asked to leave by threatening them with physical harm.
Surveillance footage from the store reportedly captured Window entering the premises and later threatening employees. Sheriff Melton said Window told the staff, “You think you’re safe up here, but you don’t live here, I’ll beat your [expletive] anywhere.”
Employees told deputies they were alarmed by the threats, noting that Window had physically confronted one of them on a prior occasion.
During questioning, Window claimed she had received permission from the store’s district manager to return. However, Melton clarified that the store’s regional manager denied giving any such authorization.
On Aug. 10, authorities presented evidence to a judge who subsequently found probable cause for Window’s arrest. Deputies took Window into custody and transported her to the Izard County Detention Center the following day.
In a related matter, Sheriff Melton also disclosed that his office is investigating an incident that occurred on Aug. 7, when several individuals, all dressed in black, reportedly gathered at the store’s entrance near closing time. While their intentions remain unclear, deputies were in the area and monitoring the situation as it developed.
“This is an ongoing investigation,” Melton stated regarding the group’s presence outside the store.
No further details have been released at this time.