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The Trotters were arrested in Warrensburg after a search warrant was served at their residence. During the search, officers located the theater system and identified it as stolen from Walmart from the identification number on the box.
Police allege the pair placed the theater system in their shopping cart at the Marshall store, then continued shopping and eventually went to the checkout counter. After paying for other items, Melissa Trotter told the clerk she wanted to return the theater system because it was not working.
Video footage retrieved from Walmart's security system confirm the two then made their way out of the store, without stopping at the customer service desk to return the item, by allegedly using three children accompanying them as a distraction as they exited the front door of the store.
According to an incident report filed with the probable cause statement, Heath Trotter has a criminal history that includes burglary in the second degree, trespassing in the first degree, possession of a controlled substance and domestic assault. The report indicates Melissa Trotter also has an arrest record for domestic assault.
If convicted of the charges against them, the couple could serve up to one year in county jail, and/or up to a $1,000 fine. A court date has not been established.
Charges contained in reports provided by law enforcement officials are not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting charges must be presented before a jury, whose duty is to determine if the accused is guilty or not guilty of the charges.
Contact Kathy Fairchild at marshallhealth@socket.net
Comments
Nice, I bet the kiddos are proud of their momma and daddy!
Well, it's always possible that the item HAD been exchanged by another customer previously and then the item was returned to the shelf. Once an item's security device has been deactivated, it won't set the alarms off anymore. Another possibility is that they exited the store in a crowd. That way when the alarm did go off there would be confusion and somebody innocent might stop to have their receipt looked at while the shoplifters casually continued out the door with their three kids. I used to work at Walmart...you would be surprised how creative dishonest people can be...
if they left the store without this going across the register, how did they not set off the alarms at the entrance/exit? Seems like a lot of us who do pay for our stuff still set them off & have to prove we paid for the items...
Its always nice to see families doing things together.