Walmart thief ‘attempted a sneaky trick to steal 45 items worth $313 using children as young as nine’

A WOMAN has been charged with theft from a major retailer after allegedly hiding nearly 50 items under herself and her children.

In Boardman, Ohio, about 50 miles east of Akron, a mother and her three children were spotted on security camera footage at the local Walmart with several items hidden.

2

Shajuan Bethea, 31, and her children, ages 9 to 14, allegedly hid 45 Walmart products totaling $313.57, according to the Ohio affiliate of CBS. WKBN.

Police were called to the Walmart around 5:00 p.m. EST Thursday, and store security officials claimed they followed Bethea and her children with cameras as they hid items on the premises.

The family then went to the checkout area and bought a certain amount of groceries in addition to the hidden goods, police said.

After leaving Walmart, Bethea and her children, except for the nine-year-old, were handcuffed by police officers and arrested.

The group was then told that allegations of theft were being made against them.

Bethea is currently facing charges of theft and contributing to a child’s temperament/criminality.

The 31-year-old was charged on Tuesday morning.

There is no current information on the allegations of theft against the other two children.

Walmart has been struggling with shoplifting for some time.

CEO Doug McMillon noted in December that theft rates had reached “an all-time high” for the retailer.

Self-checkouts are always a challenge, as some shoppers tend to use “tricks” to smuggle goods through kiosk areas.

Nonetheless, several businesses have begun to take action against crime with comprehensive anti-theft measures.

Sneaky Moves

As The US Sun previously reported, that didn’t stop a Walmart shopper in Bedford, Indiana, who took away $154.45 worth of merchandise in May.

According to Walmart employees, police arrested 27-year-old Taylor Johnson on May 26 after finding that she failed to pay for items in two separate transactions WBIW.

Employees monitored Johnson after she allegedly paid for some of her items and then proceeded to the store’s lawn and garden area.

Walmart security officials then claimed the shopper made a phone call while looking at the door and tried to exit the door without paying for all of the items.

Johnson argued that she went to the lawn and garden department to return some flowers.

The alleged thief added that she plans to return some of the plants and leave with the rest of the unpaid items.

After the altercation, Johnson received a ban from entering the store from Walmart, meaning she is not allowed to return to the store.

Johnson was charged with theft and summoned to appear in Lawrence County Superior Court on Wednesday.

For more related content, see the US Sun’s coverage of a Walmart shopper accused of stealing $7,000 worth of merchandise from a self-checkout kiosk.

The US Sun also has the story of a woman who allegedly used a popular “conman” to rob Walmart, Lowe’s and Home Depot.

2