VIDEO: Woman cited after stealing water for bottle redemption

MEDFORD, Ore. - A video circulating the internet that caused local outrage has now lead to an arrest.

The 38-year-old woman in the video is shown dumping water at a Medford bottle drop station to collect 10 cents per recycled bottle.

Medford Police now confirm that the woman, Tabitha Mobbs, had stolen the cases of water in question and was cited and released.

Mobbs faces a misdemeanor for stealing the water. But police now say that since she was recorded redeeming stolen goods for cash, that could be a felony. News10 has reached out to the DA, but it is unclear whether they will pursue further charges.

MPD says an Albertson's employee saw the woman leaving the store with nearly $40 in stolen water when they caught her license plate number. With that information, the incident was reported to police.

When police stopped her, Mobbs admitted to the theft.

News10 brought you the story of the increasing number of bottle returns over the weekend.

As the state recently decided to double the amount to ten cents per bottle instead of five, numbers soared at local bottle drops.

Staff say a normal weekend would bring in about 8,000 to 10,000 bottles - this weekend brought in about 30,000.