A SHOPPER’S pleas from jail saw cops immediately dispatched to a Walmart store after he and his son were falsely accused of theft.
Michael Kruse and his 18-year-old son spent a night in jail after a visit to their local Walmart in Forsyth County, Atlanta, saw them accused of shoplifting.
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Kruse whose four-year-old son was also with him told Fox News affiliate WAGA-TV how several bags of sand put him and his teen son in handcuffs.
The regular Walmart shopper thought nothing about visiting his local store on Saturday to buy bags of sand for a sandbox he was building as well as some other items.
However, despite having a receipt proving that he had paid for the sand, cops arrested Kruse and his son for shoplifting.
“It just was $71, but the sand itself was $49.97,” he told the news outlet.
Walmart security had called the Forsyth County Sheriff’s office claiming that the father and son had stolen the sand.
When deputies arrived, the loss prevention officer showed them a segment of the surveillance footage showing a man walking into the store and then out with several bags of sand.
Kruse explained to WAGA that security used this footage as probable cause and deputies subsequently issued misdemeanor warrants for himself and his eldest son.
However, the father argued that security missed a fundamental part of the footage that would have allayed their suspicions of theft.
“The security guard had started the tape and started looking while we were at the sand,” Kruse explained.
“While we were looking for a cart to get the sand, she didn’t bother to go back an extra two minutes to see we were actually in line at the cash register.”
When arresting officers turned up at his door, Kruse said that he offered to show them proof that he did not steal the items but this was denied.
“I told the arresting officers that I could produce a receipt, and they said, ‘Do you have it right now?’” Kruse recalled.
“I was in my driveway in handcuffs with my forearm in my spine and I said, ‘I can go get it,’ and they just rolled their eyes and said ‘You’re coming with us.'”
The pair were put in jail for the night and as a last resort, Kruse reached out to the news outlet which then contacted the sheriff’s office for clarification on the alleged shoplifting incident.
“A detective was immediately sent to Walmart that morning within minutes of the phone call,” Kruse said.
I told the arresting officers that I could produce a receipt…they just rolled their eyes and said ‘You’re were coming with us’
Michael Kruse
“They reviewed the tapes and determined we purchased the sand from the cashier.”
All charges against Kruse and his son were dropped and both of their records were expunged and their bond refunded.
The Sheriff’s office confirmed to the news outlet that Walmart “agreed they were wrong on the accusations.”
Kruse issued a plea to security teams at stores and arresting officers saying, “When you take out a warrant for somebody’s arrest you’ve got to be 100% sure.
“You have to realize what this is doing to that person.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Walmart for comment.
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