BEDFORD – A Bedford man is facing a theft charge after allegedly attempting to leave Walmart with over $300 worth of unpaid merchandise by “skip scanning” items.
Gregory A. Pierce, 42, was issued a summons to appear in court on Thursday, June 20, following the incident.
Bedford Police Department Officer J. Landon Jones was dispatched to the Walmart on John Williams Boulevard at approximately 4:50 p.m. in response to a report of a subject detained for theft in the Asset Protection office.
Upon arrival, Officer Jones made contact with a Walmart Asset Protection Associate and Pierce.
According to a statement provided to police, Pierce was caught on video stealing items from Walmart, and the store’s official requested prosecution. A receipt provided by Walmart showed the total value of the items Pierce allegedly attempted to steal to be $369.55.
A Walmart associate provided a detailed statement regarding the incident after a report of a known stolen scanner was found inside the store. An associate monitored Pierce throughout the store. When Pierce entered the grocery self-checkout area, an associate was watching him on video.
A self-checkout host was sent to open a tote in Pierce’s cart, which was reportedly full of merchandise. The host reminded him to scan the items inside the tote. Pierce then scanned and bagged his grocery items, placing them on a nearby cooler. After paying for the scanned grocery items, he allegedly returned them to his cart, putting them on top of the previously unscanned merchandise inside the tote.
Pierce then exited the self-checkout and the main grocery doors, where a Walmart AP stopped him. Pierce was cooperative, and all merchandise was recovered. Due to what Walmart described as “previous known incidents and amount recovered,” Pierce was also trespassed from the Walmart property. He acknowledged this information and signed a no-trespass form.
Pierce was issued a Promise to Appear in Lawrence County Superior Court II on July 21, 2025, at 8:30 a.m.
A Probable Cause Affidavit outlines the initial findings and allegations that led to an arrest. Criminal charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
