Boca Raton Women Charged With Coordinating Thefts From Lowe’s Store

Mary Lou Bole, 60, and Barbara Denise Shortt, 49. (Photos: Palm Beach County Jail)

A pair of Boca Raton women are facing charges after allegedly coordinating several thefts from the Lowe’s Home Improvement store on U.S. 441 (SR-7).

Mary Lou Bole, 60, and Barbara Denise Shortt, 49, were both charged this week with felony larceny. Shortt was facing additional charges since she was already on felony probation when the alleged incidents occurred.

According to a police report, store personnel contacted the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in December 2025 to report at least two incidents of theft that had been discovered after a review of security footage. A loss prevention manager at the store told deputies that on two occasions, beginning Dec. 11, 2025, the same two women were seen coordinating the theft of merchandise. One of the two was later encountered face-to-face by loss prevention employees while purportedly seeking price estimates for cabinetry replacement.

In all, Lowe’s representatives reported thefts having occurred on four dates in December. In each of the incidents, the same two women were identified being in the store and leaving in the same white Jeep. After the investigation began, deputies linked Bole to the incidents by her license plate, while Shortt was identified through security footage by two distinctive tattoos that matched her description in previous police records. In all, the four incidents of theft culminated in $1,393 in merchandise being taken from the store.

The two women were arrested Jan. 21, 2026 after deputies conducted a traffic stop on Bole’s Jeep. Shortt was a passenger in the Jeep at the time. According to the report, Bole, when interviewed, denied stealing any items from the store but said Shortt “may have stolen something without her knowledge.”

Both suspects were brought to the Palm Beach County Jail. Bole was later relased on $5,000 bond and Shortt was released on $10,000 bond since her charges also included the probation violation.