Georgia Assistant Principal Accused of Shoplifting at Walmart 98 Times by Stacking Items at Checkout

An elementary school assistant principal has been accused of stealing nearly $1,000 worth of items from a Walmart in Cherokee County, Georgia.

The suspect is identified as 47-year-old Courtney Shaw who allegedly stole from the Walmart on Bells Ferry Road 98 times, with the alleged thefts totaling $943.97, WSB-TV reported Tuesday.

The outlet said the alleged thefts happened between November 2 and December 31. The suspect’s reported method was stacking merchandise on top of one another but only scanning one item before putting them into a bag.

Workers said she got into either a grey pickup truck or Jeep when leaving the store. Deputies with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office eventually identified Shaw, CBS News reported Wednesday.

“A comparison of her driver’s license photo with the surveillance images led both the investigating deputy and the Walmart employee to agree it was the same person,” and officials later found she was living in Woodstock.

The pickup truck and Jeep found at the residence were registered to the suspect. “Investigators said Walmart requested to press charges and sought to have Shaw criminally trespass from the store. Warrants were taken, and evidence was uploaded into the case file,” the CBS article stated.

On January 19, Shaw, who was charged with theft by shoplifting, was booked but released from jail hours later on a nearly $5,000 bond.

According to WSB-TV, she is the assistant principal at Free Home Elementary School. However, she has since been placed on administrative leave.

Walmart and other major retailers have been targets for shoplifters in recent years. In 2023, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy were among others who closed some of their locations across the United States due to the issue, Breitbart News reported at the time.

“In 2021, retailers lost a combined $94.5 billion from theft and inventory loss, according to the 2022 National Retail Security Survey. California has seen 35 retail outlets close while New York closed 23 and Illinois closed 18. Florida also closed 21 stores,” the article read.

A woman in Hartford, Wisconsin, who was accused of shoplifting at Walmart returned to the store in December while police officers were participating in a “Shop with a Cop” event. The officers arrested her at the scene.