A woman is accused of defecating in the parking lot of a Massachusetts outdoor goods store nine times over the past several months after police said she was caught in the act Wednesday.
Andrea Grocer, 51, of Ashland, was arrested Wednesday near the Natick Outdoor Store, according to a report from Natick police. Henry Kanner, the owner of the store said she'd done it nine times, but she was arrested on eight charges of defacing property.
Kanner said he installed surveillance cameras outside to catch shoplifters but ended up catching Grocer defecating in his parking lot.
"And then it happened again. And then it happened again," he explained. "We saw a pile of human excrement with a little bit of toilet paper on top of it on the parking lot."
After a series of complaints, an officer staked out the store's parking lot. The officer wrote that he confirmed that Grocer defecated out of the driver's side door of her SUV, a 2018 Lincoln MKX, around 6:55 a.m., after the lot had cleared out.
She had waited about 10 minutes for the nearby commuter train and shuttle buses to leave, then opened her SUV's door to create a barrier, police said. Grocer drove away after only a few seconds, allowing the officer to confirm that feces were left at the site.
The officer pulled Grocer over and told her he did so because of what he'd seen. According to the police report, she said she has irritable bowel syndrome and was on her way to the home where she works as a nanny.
The officer noted that there were various nearby public restrooms and she allegedly replied apologetically that she wouldn't relieve herself in the store parking lot again. The officer later confirmed with Grocer's employer that she had access to the home's restroom, the officer wrote.
Kanner said he still can't understand why she would do this when she works nearby.
"She takes care of business whether it's raining out, whether it's snowing out," he said. "Why would someone do this? And it turns out she works up the street."
Police began investigating the defecation situation in December, when Kanner told them he found human feces on his property at least eight times since October, providing police with a partial license plate that matched Grocer's.
“At first, they thought it was an animal but then they noticed toilet paper and other wipes – items animals would not have access to,” Lt. Cara Rossi told Metro West Daily News.
The owner of the outdoor goods store said he does not know the suspect and is unsure why she would allegedly defecate in his store’s parking lot.
Grocer faces charges that include eight counts of wanton destruction of property. She was released without bail on Wednesday and is due back in court on March 2, according to the Metro West Daily News.
It wasn't immediately clear if she had an attorney who could speak to the charges.
