A PAIR of shoppers allegedly stole over $200 worth of items from self-checkouts, including some delicious bakery treats.
In Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, just over two hours northeast of Pittsburg, the accused thieving duo had been recently apprehended by loss prevention officers.
Jerry Allan Imler, 39, and Jackie Alberter, 46, were caught pretending to scan items on security cameras at Weis Market grocery store twice in December and three times in January, according to state police officers.
It wasn’t until May 14, however, that an employee contacted loss prevention to report the instances.
Pennsylvania State Trooper Dalton Granville said the pair passed the items through without scanning them, per NorthcentralPa.
He added that Alberter allegedly used her store club card in place of a debit or credit card for the items they supposedly scanned and paid for.
Throughout the five instances, Imler and Alberter were accused of stealing $254.57 worth of products.
Police said the stolen items included two cherry pies, Welch’s yogurt balls, Deli pasta salad, Deli potato salad, coffee creamer, New York strip steak, two Red Bulls, Mountain Dew, three packs of Gillette razor refills, and three bags of Purina One Dog Food.
Alberter was given a retail theft summary charge for her part in the alleged thefts, according to court documents.
Imler was charged with second-degree misdemeanor retail theft and is scheduled for a preliminary court hearing on July 20.
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The alleged Pennsylvania thefts come as self-checkout stealing is a continual issue for major retailers across the United States.
As The U.S. Sun previously reported, a Wyoming man was recently accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of items from Walmart through a self-checkout trick.
Brian Jackson, 49, pleaded not guilty to two felony charges in court on Thursday for the supposed thefts.
Jackson could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail and/or a $20,000 fine if he’s found guilty on both charges, per court documents.
He and Roselyn Chavez allegedly stole nearly $7,000 in merchandise from Walmart over a three-month period earlier this year, local news outlet Sweetwater Now reported.
Video surveillance allegedly shows Jackson using the handheld scanner to scan merchandise while Chavez would put merchandise in the bags.
An Asset Protection Agent investigated the pair and accused Jackson of stealing $2,118.13 worth of items in January, $3,018.94 in February, and $1,370.67 in March, for a total of $6,507.74.
The total sum of allegedly shoplifted merchandise was $7,002.91, which includes the merchandise that Jackson and Chavez allegedly stole together and separately.
A trial date for Jackson has been scheduled for October 2, and he remains out of jail on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.
For more related content, check out The U.S. Sun’s coverage of Walgreens’ new anti-theft store.
The U.S. Sun also has the story of a Walmart shopper who was hit with major charges over an alleged plot to steal $4,500 worth of Legos.
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