A couple caught trying to swipe a pregnancy test from Walmart as part of their shoplifting spree has been given probation.
The couple, Kyle D. Sutton and Brittany D. Sutton, both entered guilty pleas before General Sessions Judge Bill Locke to charges of theft and shoplifting and were granted 11-month, 29-day judicial diversions. The diversion means their criminal records will be erased once their probation is over. They will also be required to perform 25 hours public service work and make restitution to Walmart. The remaining counts of forgery were dismissed.
Walmart security caught them “receipt shopping” at the local store. The act of receipt shopping, which is covered under the shoplifting law, is the act of finding receipts for certain items you did not buy and then going into the store, finding those items, and then taking them to customer service for a refund.
In the case of the Suttons, they were identified as receipt shoppers for their multiple appearances at the store in a couple days.
“They came into the store with nothing in hand,” revealed Walmart security specialist Greg Pescevic, noting he pulled surveillance film on the suspects, tracing their movements through the store after they entered through separate doors.
The pair hit Walmart twice on Jan. 25, returning items for $63. They then came back to the store the next day and began a repeat of their receipt shopping, this time returning three items. However, their aggressiveness got the best of them when Mrs. Sutton tried yet another return.
“She went to leave the store with a pregnancy test,” Pescivic revealed, noting he was on her trail at that point and followed her out the door. “The male in the truck saw me and went to back up.”
The couple was allowed to plea to single incidents as part of their agreement.