A mother of three from Louisiana received recognition on Tuesday for her unexpected act of bravery—offering her car to assist police in capturing a suspected shoplifter over the weekend.

The incident unfolded on Saturday at a Dillard’s store in Slidell. Sgt. Jeff Kahrs of the Slidell Police Department was notified of a shoplifting attempt taking place inside the store.

The accused, identified as 34-year-old Kelsey Baird from Navarre, Florida, noticed Sgt. Kahrs entering the premises. She allegedly dropped the stolen goods as she attempted to evade capture, according to police reports.

As Sgt. Kahrs tried to apprehend Baird, she fled across the parking lot and leapt into a car waiting outside. The vehicle was reportedly driven by her boyfriend, 43-year-old Eric Boudreaux from Biloxi, Mississippi.

Police bodycam footage captures the moment Baird sprints away from Sgt. Kahrs at the Dillard’s store in Slidell on Saturday, November 1, 2025. The video shows her escaping in the getaway vehicle.

In a fortuitous twist, a passerby stopped and offered Sgt. Kahrs a ride, allowing him to continue the pursuit of the speeding suspect.

“Want to hop in?” the good Samaritan says.

A good Samaritan stopped in the parking lot to offer Sgt. Jeff Kahrs a ride during the pursuit of shoplifting suspects on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Slidell Police Department)

Kahrs accepted the assist and got in the car, helping the woman navigate to chase down the suspects.

“The citizen-officer duo safely followed the suspects, while Sgt. Kahrs gave a play to play to responding officers via his police radio,” police said in a statement.

Moments later, backup arrived to help take the suspects into custody.

Eric Boudreaux, 43, was charged with theft and resisting an officer by flight. (Slidell Police Department)

Both Baird and Boudreaux were charged with theft and resisting an officer by flight. Baird was additionally charged with meth possession.

Kelsey Baird, 34, was charged with theft, resisting an officer by flight and meth possession. (Slidell Police Department)

Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau thanked the good Samaritan for lending his officer a hand.

“To the good Samaritan, who I spoke with this morning, people like you are the reason why Slidell is a great place to live and work,” the chief said. “Without hesitation, you assisted one of our officers… expecting nothing in return.”

On Tuesday, police identified the good Samaritan as Lesli Smith, a citizen of Slidell, and presented her with the Citizenship Award during a ceremony with police and Slidell Mayor Randy Fandal.

Police identified Leslie Smith as the good Samaritan who helped Sgt. Jeff Kahrs catch the shoplifting suspects. Smith was awarded Slidell’s Citizenship Award on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Slidell Police Department)

“All I was thinking at the time was, ‘How could I help?’” the mother of three said.

Smith added that she lived in Slidell all her life and wanted to emphasize how impressed she was with the police department’s hard work and response to the alleged shoplifting.

“I was so impressed, that was my most important thing I wanted to come across,” Smith told reporters at the ceremony. She added that after she dropped Kahrs off to apprehend the suspects, she made a U-turn and went back to shopping at TJ Maxx.

Seuzeneau warned in an earlier statement that any would-be thieves should think twice before preying upon businesses in Slidell.

“We will do whatever it takes to catch you and fully prosecute you. Stay out of our city,” he said.