Darien Walmart Worker Takes Shopper's Cash: Police

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About 10 a.m. July 21, a woman was at the self-checkout where she paid for three items. Her small black purse was in her shopping cart’s upper portion, police said.

When she was done, she placed her debit card in a sweater pocket. She then returned the shopping cart near the exit and picked up her bags, but did not take her purse, police said.

After arriving home, she realized she had forgotten her purse. At Walmart, when she asked for her purse, a manager returned it.

But the woman found the purse no longer contained credit cards and about $100 in cash, according to the report.

The manager checked the security cameras, but was unable to see who turned in her purse or who took the money, police said.

Later, a Darien officer visited the store and had a manager pull up the video. The footage showed the woman leaving her purse behind and the 73-year-old employee grabbing it, police said.

He was seen walking toward another employee, showing him the purse and then walking toward the service desk.

On another camera angle, the worker is seen opening the purse, pulling out what appears to be cash and placing it in his right front pocket, police said. He then leaves the purse at the service desk and walks away.

Police showed up at the man’s Woodridge house. Asked whether he found a purse in a cart, the employee said he did. He said he showed it to a co-worker and took it to the service desk, police said.

He denied taking money from the purse, but police told him the store’s video showed otherwise.

The 73-year-old was taken to the Darien police station, where he was photographed and fingerprinted. He was then taken back to his house.

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