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Ashlie Ruth Clark: Oregon shoplifter gets over 5 years in prison for tearing off earlobe of security guard during theft

Ashlie Ruth Clark, 31, started to hurl profanities and physically resisted arrest when the guards attempted to recover the stolen goods

TIGARD, OREGON: An Oregon shoplifter was sentenced to more than five years in prison for tearing off the earlobe of a security guard during a department store theft.  Ashlie Ruth Clark, 31, was confronted by the security guards as she exited the Nordstrom at Washington Square Mall in Tigard, Oregon, on July 22, 2022.

According to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, Clark was caught with merchandise worth over $800. But she started to hurl profanities and physically resisted arrest when the guards attempted to recover the stolen goods. 

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Clark bit one of the guard’s earlobes

During the struggle, Clark bit one of the guard’s earlobes and tore off “at least a half inch” of flesh. Unfortunately, the medical professionals were unable to reattach the victim's earlobe after she was taken to a hospital.  

What did the police say?

Police said that Clark gave a false name and date of birth to Tigard police officers when they arrested her. Clark was sentenced to 70 months in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree assault and first-degree attempted robbery on Friday, March 24, 2023. She is being transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve her sentence, followed by three years of post-prison supervision after her release.

“The Washington County District Attorney’s Office acknowledges the work of the Tigard Police Department, and the Nordstrom loss prevention team and Washington Square Mall security for their assistance in this investigation,” the DA’s office said, according to New York Post. 

A similar incident

MEAWW has previously reported that a video from the Bronx has surfaced where a Foodtown worker was brutally attacked by shoplifters. The disturbing footage shows the employee trying his level best to stop them from committing the crime. The incident was reported to have taken place at around 1 pm on March 7 inside the supermarket on Allerton Avenue near Paulding Avenue in Allerton. “A ‘verbal dispute with a customer’ who was stealing — only the latest in an avalanche of retail thefts in the Big Apple," said police.

Louis Porcelli, a store manager, said that shoplifting has increased in the recent past and is a growing problem at stores over the past year or so. He also shared that the current issue is eminent in other parts of the city too. He also appealed to the authorities to step up and increase policing in the region. Porcelli claimed that he never witnessed violence of such level before, adding, “Not to this extent. I mean, we had caught people, we ran after them, we got the merchandise, but you know, not this brutal attack.”