Photo Courtesy of Columbia County Sheriff's Office / Facebook
A man and woman in Grovetown, Georgia, were caught on surveillance walking out of a Grovetown Walmart with $6,400 worth of gift cards and merchandise after the couple tricked the cashier.
According to WRDW, the theft happened on Nov. 30. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office stated that the two grabbed expensive items, including gift cards. When they arrived at the checkout counter, they made several credit card transactions with the cashier. The couple asked the cashier to hit the “cash” button on the register to make their credit card work. However, pushing the button made it appear they were paying by cash, not charging the credit card.
The man and woman had $3,400 in merchandise and $3,000 in gift cards without paying for any of it. Detectives called the incident a “theft by deception.”
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office gave an update on Dec. 2, stating that the two individuals were identified.
According to Fox News, the male suspect was identified
as 19-year-old Jaylan Griggs from Flint, Michigan. The name of the female suspect hasn’t been revealed.A similar crime happened over the summer at the same Walmart. A couple entered the store, piling several items into their cart. Upon checkout, they did the “cash” button trick, but instead of convincing the cashier to push it, the male suspect pushed it himself, telling the worker he used to be a Walmart employee.
The Grovetown Walmart has a history of theft incidents where some thieves were caught, and others weren’t. In April, a 54-year-old man named Rodney Myers was charged
with a misdemeanor shoplifting after being spotted with a cart full of 125 unpurchased bananas that cost $40.In 2017, a couple stole about $3,200 in electronics from the same Walmart. Both the male and female managed to exit the store with expensive electronics and weren’t caught.
Authorities encourage those with information regarding the suspects to contact Investigator Leigh Fletcher at 706-541-2800.