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Clarence, NY (NYSP release) -- On December 24, 2012, Troopers based out of the Clarence barracks arrested two subjects on Grand Larceny charges and two subjects on Petit Larceny based on an investigation into a shoplifting ring at the Walmart Supercenter on Transit Road in the Town of Clarence.
On December 24, Troopers were contacted by officials from the Walmart Supercenter on Transit Road, in the Town of Clarence. Over the course of the last month, Walmart officials had been gathering evidence that several of their employees were involved in an ongoing scheme of “under-scanning” or “under-ringing” merchandise, thereby allowing other accomplices to go through the check-out lines and leave the store without paying for numerous items in their shopping bags. It was also discovered that, on some occasions involving the purchase of gift cards, a cashier would activate a card and keep it, swapping it with another card that was not activated, allowing the unsuspecting customer to leave the store with a gift card that was not activated. The investigation is still ongoing and other arrests are pending, but Walmart estimates that this group of suspects is responsible for the loss and/or theft of over $7,000.00 dollars in merchandise. The following persons were arrested:
EVELYN C. SMITH, age 26, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested for Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, an E Felony, for under-scanning merchandise on at least seven occasions totaling approximately $2,600.00 dollars while she was working as a Walmart employee. In addition, SMITH was observed posing as a customer and left the store with approximately $1,600.00 dollars of under-scanned merchandise going through the cashier line of one of the other members of the group.
TACARA LAWRENCE, age 21, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested for Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, an E Felony, for under-scanning merchandise on at least four occasions totaling approximately $2,500.00 dollars, while she was working as a Walmart employee.
DEWAYNE HARRELL, age 22, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested for Petit Larceny, when while working as a Walmart employee, stole two gift cards totaling approximately $95.00 dollars. HARRELL activated gift cards for two customers but switched them and presented the customers with unactivated cards. HARRELL kept the activated cards for himself.
LATASHA M. MORROW, age 19, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested for Petit Larceny, for leaving the Walmart store with merchandise that was initially scanned and then voided by a cashier involved with this group. The value of the merchandise was approximately $280.00 dollars.
All of the above subjects will appear on a later date in the Town of Clarence Court to answer the charges.