DELAND, Fla. – A woman with a history of disorderly conduct got out of jail when she pleaded no contest to charges from a disturbance at a cell phone store.
Heather Ryan Thaden was actually on probation for arson at the time, and that was likely her fourth plea deal with prosecutors.
A store employee told authorities in Florida, “Thaden entered the store and began yelling at customers” on Oct. 17. “[The employee] asked Thaden to leave the store, which [sic] she then spit on [the employee].
“[The employee] explained the spit was a mist that landed on his face.
“[He] advised that Thaden then left the store. When doing so, he locked the door and immediately called law enforcement.
“[The employee] declined medical services [but] advised you wanted to pursue criminal charges for battery.”
Soon after, the arrest report continued, a deputy “observed a female matching the description,” who was out for a walk.
“[The deputy] exited his patrol vehicle and attempted to detain Thaden, who was in an irate state, yelling and screaming at [the deputy] and began walking away from [the deputy]. [The deputy] gave lawful commands for Thaden to stop walking away from him. [Thaden] continued walking away from [the deputy].
“[The deputy] retrieved his agency-issued Taser 10 and pointed at the ground, advising Thaden to stop walking away from him, or she would be Tased. At that point, Thaden stopped walking and sat on the sidewalk,” and was arrested.
A sergeant arrived and read Thaden her rights, but she may not have heard every word.
“Thaden was irate and yelling over [the sergeant],” the arrest report said. “Thaden did advice she was at [the store] and was ‘kicked out.’”
Thaden was charged with simple battery for the spitting and resisting without violence for disobeying the deputy. The arrest report said she had no prior convictions for battery.
On Nov. 1, Thaden pleaded no contest to the charges and she was sentenced to the two weeks in jail she’d served, plus fines and costs.
That wasn’t her first plea deal. She got off easy the first time she was arrested in the area, back in 2018.
“Heather was soaking wet and appeared frantic,” at the scene of a disturbance, the arrest report said. “She was continuously talking and spraying herself with a water hose.”
A deputy “ordered Heather to sit down and remain in her location under the carport, [but] Heather kept speaking and refused to sit down at [the deputy’s] command.”
Two witnesses “informed the deputy that Heather physically pushed [one of them] and vandalized his vehicle by scratching the driver’s side door.”
Thaden got lucky. The victim “advised he did not wish to pursue criminal charges for battery and criminal mischief.” She was only charged with resisting without violence.
Two weeks later, prosecutors decided not to pursue the charge.
She took a deal in 2020 after an unusual, loud, and violent situation involving her niece.
Thaden told a DeLand police officer they “were being jumped by three other females. Thaden stated that the other female stole [her niece’s] phone and then proceeded to scam [the niece’s] information from the phone. Thaden then stated that the females then gave her back the phone.”
“I observed [the niece] to be sitting in the grass and crying hysterically,” the officer wrote. “[The niece] was begging Thaden to give her back her phone so that [the niece] may call her mother. I then asked Thaden for [the niece’s] phone, to which she gave it to me. I then gave [the niece] her cell phone but it would not work due to [the niece] not having any cell service. Upon [the niece] being asked if she would like a courtesy ride back to her residence, Thaden started screaming.
“Thaden was screaming that she would not allow law enforcement to take [her niece] anywhere, and would rather walk with [her niece] back to [the niece’s] residence. I observed both [the niece] and Thaden to smell like alcoholic beverages. Thaden then walked up to me, got into my face, and then started to yell that I did not know the mission statement for the DeLand Police Department. I asked Thaden to back up numerous times, to which she complied after being told numerous times to do so.
“Thaden continued to scream and attracted the attention of multiple citizens. Thaden then began to yell towards a vehicle who was sitting at a red light. Thaden then started to engage in a heated conversation with the subject sitting in their vehicle at a red traffic light. The light turned green and the vehicle continued to sit at the light and talk with Thaden, obstructing traffic.
“A [man] who was riding a bicycle and traveling on the sidewalk towards law enforcement was advised to go around, due to law enforcement conducting an investigation. Thaden then advised the man on the bicycle to ignore law enforcement’s request and continue towards law enforcement.
“Thaden was asked multiple times to walk away and to keep her voice down, to which she would not comply and continued screaming. I then stated to Thaden that she was being arrested and advised her to place her hands behind her back. Thaden said something similar to ‘no’ and pulled her arm away from myself. I then grabbed Thaden’s arm to place her in handcuffs, to what she pulled away and rolled into the grass. While she was in the grass, officers were able to secure Thaden in handcuffs.
“Thaden was then placed in the back of my marked patrol vehicle. While Thaden was in the back of the patrol car, she laid down in the back seat and started coughing. Thaden then advised that she was having a seizure [and] began using her body to move around, and hit the back seat of the vehicle. I advised dispatch that Thaden may have had a seizure and requested Fire Rescue. Fire Rescue arrived on scene and Thaden refused medical treatment, and began yelling at Fire Rescue.
“Thaden was secured in the back of my marked patrol vehicle again.”
She was taken to the police station, where the arrest report said
she “proceeded to lay down on her back and place her feet on the ceiling of my marked patrol vehicle. Thaden continued to kick the ceiling and hit the back seat of my vehicle. Officers had to place a hobble on Thaden’s feet to prevent her from kicking the ceiling. … Officers then had to secure Thaden in a chest restraint to prevent her from moving forwards. After officers secured the chest restraint, she began to hit her head on the back of the seat.”
Heather Ryan Thaden’s First Appearance Action, June 30, 2021 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd
She was charged with disorderly conduct and nine months later, pleaded no contest. Her sentence was time served, plus fines and costs.
The end of Thaden’s situation the next year was similar.
The arrest report from February 2022 said deputies responded to shoplifting at a Walmart Neighborhood Market.
An employee said Thaden “had concealed a sandwich in her jacket. [The employee] approached Heather Thaden at the point of sale and quietly requested she remove the sandwich from her jacket and purchase said item, to which Heather Thaden denied possessing the sandwich and stated she was just going to pay for her rotisserie chicken, and leave. [The employee] once again asked Heather Thaden to remove the sandwich and leave the store, to which she slammed the sandwich down, began a verbal disturbance with customers and staff, yelling about ‘God’s wrath’ and that ‘He would come down.’”
That’s when a deputy arrived and “attempted to escort Heather Thaden from the store to prevent a further breach of peace within the store, and detain her for a shoplifting investigation. While [the deputy] was attempting to secure Heather Thaden in handcuffs, she began to attempt and escape [the deputy’s] grasp.”
A second deputy helped make the arrest.
The arrest report said surveillance footage “clearly shows Heather Thaden conceal the sandwich in a jacket sleeve and attempt to circumvent the point of sale.”
Then, in the back of a patrol vehicle, “Heather Thaden became combative, hitting her head against the partition, and caused herself a small superficial cut to the palm of her hand.”
Paramedics came but “she refused to allow them to assess; however, it should be noted the small laceration on her hand had stopped bleeding at that time. Due to Heather Thaden’s combative behavior, a seat belt restraint was applied” and she was taken to jail.
The arrest report never did mention the sandwich, with a cost of $6.37, being found.
A criminal history “revealed no prior convictions for petit theft.” Thaden was charged “with petit theft as well as resisting an officer without violence,” and prosecutors dropped the charge when she successfully completed a deferred prosecution agreement.
Thaden was accused of trying to steal much more at another Walmart in January 2024.
Employees said “the subject that they had caught shoplifting was in the loss prevention office,” but the arrest report said she wouldn’t stay long.
“Instead of staying to speak with me,” a police officer wrote, “Heather made for the exit of the store. Lost prevention staff pointed out Heather to me and advised that she was the one that had shoplifted, and that she was now trying to leave.
“I went to walk towards Heather and she turned around in the doorway, paused to look at me, and then started running out of the exit.”
The deputy yelled and chased her through the parking lot.
“Several times, Heather acknowledged my commands, saying ‘OK,’ and then continued to run from me. I drew my department-issued Taser 7 and advised Heather that if she did not stop, I would discharge it at her; however, I was never able to get a clear shot with my Taser.
“At the north end of the parking lot, Heather got onto a bike that she later advised was her bike. Heather then began to ride away from me.”
Then, incredibly, “A Walmart loss prevention employee arrived next to me in a car and allowed me to get into the passenger seat so that I could catch up to Heather.”
The employee “only drove to the edge of the parking lot and the vehicle was at least 30 feet away from Heather when I got out of it.”
But, “Heather realized that she was now cornered in the parking lot, stuck between myself and a fence that runs the perimeter of the property, and she laid down and gave herself up.”
An employee told the officer, “He observed Heather acting strangely in the store, picking up several items and either taking them into the bathroom or placing them into other containers. [The employee] advised that Heather had two carts full of items; however, she only tried to leave with one. [The employee] stated that after Heather had completed putting several different items into a cart, she passed all points of sale without attempting to pay for any of the items that she had with her. [The employee] stated that Heather was approached by loss prevention and agreed to step into the loss prevention office and wait.
“[The employee] was able to recover all of these stolen items. [He] provided a receipt listing all of the stolen items and their values.” The total was $174.94.
Thaden was arrested for shoplifting, fleeing and eluding, and resisting without violence. She was also ordered never to return to the store.
Also, “It should be noted that while Heather was being assessed by fire/EMTs because she ‘felt sick’ and ‘felt like she was dying,’ Heather told the medical staff that she had been ‘caught stealing’ and that she ‘ran.’
“A criminal history check was completed on Heather, revealing that she had no prior convictions for shoplifting.”
Apparently she was never charged with fleeing and eluding. Thaden spent a night in jail.
Then, in early May, she pleaded no contest and was sentenced to a month behind bars, but she was already in jail for arson.
In late April, a deputy reported surveillance video showing someone on a bicycle in a building’s parking lot start “to rummage through a box next to the building. The subject can be seen removing what appeared to be a bottle of hand sanitizer and used it. The subject again rummaged through the box and removed an unknown object which the subject placed on a utilities box attached to the building. The subject can be seen squirting hand sanitizer onto the object. The subject then removed wires and what appeared to be air fresheners, the type commonly seen hanging from rear view mirrors in vehicles, from the cardboard box. The subject proceeded to ride their bicycle away from the building while still being in possession of the air fresheners. The subject rides to the street before navigating their way back to where the cardboard box is located, near to the rear of the building. The subject took out what appeared to be a lighter and lit the item previously soaked with hand sanitizer, and fire could be seen emanating from the object. The subject then took the object and tossed it into the cardboard box before riding their bicycle out of the parking lot.”
The description was very vague but a detective determined, “The suspect is believed to be a female, based on their feminine physical characteristics; however, they cannot be ruled out as a male at this time. A noticeably large bruise could be seen on the suspect’s left thigh, just under the buttocks region, which had a dark purplish discoloration to it.”
The detective sent photos to other officers, asking for help identifying the person, when a deputy wrote, “She has had several encounters [and] included a mugshot of Heather in the email for reference. [The detective] found Heather’s appearance to be visually similar to the subject scene on the footage.”
Then, authorities came up with an address “where Heather was believed to be staying with a [man]. … [They] asked if Heather was home, and he replied that she wasn’t, stating she might be at [a bar.] [A sergeant] asked [the man] if he could look inside to verify Heather was not inside, but he declined.”
Sure enough, the man “opened the front door of his residence and [the sergeant] observed Heather run across the bedroom towards the laundry room, which was visible from outside of the apartment’s front door. Detectives then called out to Heather to exit the residence, which she complied.”
That man had been booked into the Volusia County Jail four times from 2007 to 2003, but it was not arrested that day.
Instead, a detective asked him to “view a still shot image from the arson [and he] immediately stated, ‘That’s her, that’s Heather,’ and pointed to Heather Thaden.”
The arrest report said, “Heather denied starting any fires,” but authorities found the bicycle and identified it “as the same used when Heather started the fire, as she arrived and left on it, never getting off of it.”
They just couldn’t find “the clothing worn by Heather during the arson,” but reported the man said “he took the clothing up because he was upset recently, and threw them in the trash.”
Then, a female detective asked “to check her legs for any bruises, which she refused. Initially, Heather denied knowledge of starting a fire and began raising her voice at times during the conversation. Heather kept saying ‘I did not start a fire’ and advised she was shown a photograph by detectives at the house. Heather stated, ‘They were like this is you, and I’m like, but I did not start a fire.’ [The detective] asked if it was Heather in the photograph she was previously shown. Heather stated, ‘It looks like me.’”
Eventually, authorities said, “Heather again denied starting a fire and stated if one may have started afterwards, she was unaware of it. At the end of the interview, Heather stated, ‘I’m not admitting to starting a fire, but it sounds like I did,’ and, ‘It wasn’t a fire I started and took off and I was like hahaha.’”
In mid-June, prosecutors decided not to pursue charges of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and tampering with evidence. Thaden pleaded no contest to possession of a fire bomb.
She spent about a month-and-a-half in jail and was sentenced to two years of probation, scheduled to end on June 17, 2026.
But the 47-year-old violated that probation by being arrested again.
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