Current Events > 12 year old girl banned from Atlanta Walmart for eating a sucker without paying

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ATLANTA A 12-year-old girl is banned from a North Fulton County Walmart over a sucker.
Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray learned the store called the police because she ate the candy before she paid for it. Now, her father is warning other parents.

It was a Dum Dum the kind the Walmart greeters usually give out to kids that come in the store, said Jamie Hurley, the girls father.

He said that is the type of lollipop that led to his daughter receiving a criminal trespass warning. Milton Police gave it to her on March 3.

I am not allowed to enter the land or premise of Walmart ever, said Hurley reading from the warning.

The father said his daughter opened a bag of suckers, took one out and ate it without paying while alone in the store while he picked up her younger sister.

Hurley said when he returned, he offered to pay for the candy. But a police report Channel 2 Action News obtained says Walmart declined the money and also declined to press charges for theft.

And they ended up giving her a citation of trespass and told her that if she ever came back that she would actually be arrested, said Hurley.

He said this is the first time his daughter ever got into trouble like this.

We went through, obviously, what was wrong about stealing, said Hurley. But he feels the punishment does not fit the crime.

I just thought it was completely unfair that theyre handling this with, with a 12-year-old kid eating a piece of candy, said Hurley.

He said he emailed Walmart and got a reply that said, I have forwarded this to the appropriate management team for the Alpharetta, GA store for assistance. When he didnt hear back, he returned to the store.

And I actually went in yesterday to talk, and they just refused. They said its an ongoing investigation, said Hurley.

Channel 2 Action News contacted Walmart. A spokesperson sent us this statement:
Mr. Hurley was trespassed from our store after becoming verbally abusive toward associates and disrupting business. Mr. Hurley signed the notice. There was no intent to trespass Mr. Hurleys daughter, and we will work with police to correct the matter.
But that doesnt match up with the citation. The girls name and signature are on the ticket.

Hurley has this advice for other parents, Watch your kids in Walmart.

Channel 2 Action News checked with Milton Police to see if the officer had any discretion in this situation. They told us the department must issue a criminal trespass warning at the request of a private business or homeowner.

toss that criminal in jail where they belong

Stealing is wrong

I feel like 12 is old enough to know you're not supposed to take shit from stores.

but if they pour bleach into their teachers coffee then suddenly you can't punish kids no not ever.

I do this all the time...if I know I'm buying something and I'm hungry or thirsty, I start eating/drinking it immediately.

Has anyone bought a slurpee from 7/11 and not taken a sip before paying?

When I was working at Wegmans I'd frequently have people (adults!) hand me things like a half-full drink bottle or an empty chip bag to scan because they'd already eaten it which I thought was really shitty but nobody ever did anything about it which I guess is why they kept doing it.

Sounds like he responded by getting belligerent and they told him to gtfo

Sipping a drink you made yourself, and unwrapping a sealed thing are 2 different thresholds.

It makes more sense to tell them not to come back than it does to let them in and then devote a bunch of attention to making sure they don't steal any more stuff. It starts with candy (or maybe it didn't start there) but eventually escalates.

When I was working at Wegmans I'd frequently have people (adults!) hand me things like a half-full drink bottle or an empty chip bag to scan because they'd already eaten it which I thought was really shitty but nobody ever did anything about it which I guess is why they kept doing it.

I feel like 12 is old enough to know you're not supposed to take shit from stores.

She's 12?

Wait 5 years then walk back in. They'll never remember her.

Hurley has this advice for other parents, Watch your kids in Walmart.

Yesterday I saw a dude at the store starting eating grapes from his cart

He just grabbed a pack of grapes and put it in his cart and started eating them while he was shopping. I'm pretty sure he's gonna pay for it but still that's like trashy as fuck to do shit like that.

When I was in elementary age, my mom would buy a drink from the fridge next to the checkout and let me drink it. She always said it was ok since she was paying for it anyway...which she did.

Thank goodness Wal-Mart shut her down, surely she had done irreparable harm to the store's bottom line.

The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.

The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.

Theft is a crime. Banning someone from the store for theft is like the least severe response. It doesn't involve criminal charges, it's not a fine, it's just..."We can't trust you, don't come back."

A business is a business. If they have a legitimate reason to tell you they don't want you there, then you just have to suck it up and accept consequences. The fact that her dad is trying to say it's crazy to ban her for stealing is just...bad parenting, honestly. He should be using it as a teaching opportunity.

"Oh, we could have gone to Walmart but I guess we have to go to Save A Lot instead because you stole something."

Massive overreaction. These guys are trying to flex on shoplifters, which wouldnt be as big if they hadnt raised prices for everything.

These guys are trying to flex on shoplifters

How do we know she didn't intent to buy the bag when her dad picked her up or just later on?

Details (or just my understanding of them) are lacking, but if I had to guess, I would say that she likely opened a bag of suckers on the shelf, took one out, ate it, and left the bag behind.

All this ban will do is push the girl towards more delinquent behavior.

Also, what's with the store's story of giving the dad the citation not matching the evidence?