A Tupelo woman has been arrested and charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault after an Oct. 20 incident at the Dollar Tree on South Gloster Street that injured an employee, the Tupelo Police Department on Facebook said.
The department said officers responded Oct. 20, 2026, to Dollar Tree at 1111 South Gloster Street on a report of a shoplifting that resulted in an injury. Store personnel told officers that, after confronting a suspected shoplifter, the suspect shoved an employee to the ground and then threatened employees saying she had a knife and a firearm, the post said.
Paramedics transported one employee to the North Mississippi Medical Center, the department said. The suspect fled the scene.
According to the Facebook post, Barbara A. Wardlow, 46, of Tupelo, was arrested Oct. 29, 2026, and charged with one count of armed robbery and one count of aggravated assault. Tupelo Municipal Court Judge Allen ordered Wardlow to be held without bond on Oct. 30, 2026, and the case will be presented to the Lee County Grand Jury, the department said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
