Gabriela Rehard

A Billings woman is alleged to have stolen more than $2,800 worth of items from the Cody Walmart between late August and early September. 

After hearing the case against 42-year-old Gabriela P. Rehard, a circuit court magistrate ruled Friday that Park County prosecutors have enough evidence to take their felony-level theft charge to trial.

Cody police arrested Rehard shortly after the allegedly third and final theft on Sept. 4 and she has remained in jail since then.

Two initial theft

Charging documents say the case began on Aug. 31, when Walmart personnel reported a pair of thefts by the same person.

According to surveillance camera footage reviewed by store personnel and Cody police, the blonde woman walked out of the store around 12:30 p.m. with a cart-full of household goods, clothes, hardware and other items valued at $786.94. The woman then apparently changed her shirt, put her hair down and returned about 20 minutes later to load up another cart, said Cody Police Officer Daniel Fyne. That time, she walked out with speakers, food and at least two KitchenAid mixers, Fyne said, making off with $645.62 worth of stuff.

Although authorities had images of the suspect’s car — surveillance footage showed her leaving in a silver Ford Crown Victoria — they weren’t able to figure out who it was, Fyne testified at a Friday preliminary hearing.

Third time’s the charm

However, their luck changed on Sept. 4, when one of Walmart’s loss prevention specialists caught a blonde woman walking out with $1,381 worth of items, authorities allege. Although the Walmart staffer called out to the woman, “she did not stop” and left in a dark-colored Chevy Impala, Fyne said. However, Cody police pulled the vehicle over a short distance away.

In the short time that had passed, Rehard had apparently changed from a white to a blue shirt, Fyne wrote in an affidavit, but both police and the Walmart staffer immediately recognized her as their suspect.

Rehard refused to answer any questions, but offered that the driver “didn’t steal anything,” the affidavit says. The driver, who identified himself as Rehard’s brother, has not been charged with any crime.

“We did not find sufficient evidence to believe that he was an active part,” Fyne testified.

The man agreed to let police search his Impala. Inside, officers found multiple items still in their packaging, including five items that appeared to have been stolen on Aug. 31: three KitchenAid mixers, 20 volt batteries and a pink No Boundaries hoodie, Fyne wrote. The trunk also held two Walmart-brand insulated bags filled with food.

Additionally, authorities say Rehard is suspected to have stolen a couple Nintendo Switch controllers from a Billings Walmart just two days before the first incident in Cody; she was allegedly spotted leaving that store in a silver Crown Victoria.

Rehard testified Friday that she lives in Billings, but has a part time job in Ralston watching four dogs.

Medical concerns

Her bail in the Park County case was originally set at $35,000 cash, but she asked Friday to be released on a signature bond.

Rehard testified that she’s about 3.5 months into a “very high-risk pregnancy” that requires weekly medical appointments. She also said she suffers from chronic PTSD and fears being locked inside a facility, testifying that her husband died in the Billings jail a few years ago. Rehard also said this is her first felony charge.

However, Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Eichele brought up prior drug charges and failures to appear for court, including an allegedly missed hearing in June.

“I believe that she is a flight risk based on what I’ve seen in her criminal record,” Eichele said.

Rehard’s court-appointed attorney, Sarah Miles, countered that any flight concerns would be addressed by a requirement to obtain and wear a GPS ankle monitor while on bond.

Park County Circuit Court Magistrate Breanne Phillips ultimately approved a more modest reduction, lowering bail from $35,000 to $10,000 cash.

After hearing the evidence, Phillips also ruled that prosecutors had met the relatively low legal standard of probable cause and allowed the case against Rehard to proceed from circuit to district court.

Rehard’s next hearing will be an arraignment in Park County District Court, where she will enter a plea and a judge will set a trial date. At a trial, prosecutors will have to prove their case by the much higher standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt.”