KISSIMMEE, Fla.,None — Thieves stole more than $4,000 from a Kissimmee Walmart, investigators told WFTV on Wednesday.
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO: Suspects Caught In Act
Two store employees and a boyfriend bought small things, such as soft drinks, to steal thousands of dollars from the Walmart on Vineland Road, deputies said.
Security cameras captured the thieves in action. The customer, Juan Rodriguez, handed the cashier, his wife Shayla Guyton, a $20 bill, but as Guyton lifted the till, she handed Rodriguez a $100 bill as change, according to deputies.
It was a high-dollar transaction that the couple and an accomplice, Guyton's co-worker Johanna Hobson, made 12 times deputies said.
"Oh my gosh. It's kinda ridiculous," said Rodney Valentine, a Walmart shopper.
In less than two weeks, the trio was able to steal $4,500 from Walmart, all with small purchases such as a soda and beef jerky, deputies said. The thieves would do it twice in one day, investigators said.
Walmart caught on, after Guyton's register kept coming up short. In one instance, it was missing $1,400, the same amount deputies said they found on Rodriguez.
"When deputies picked up the male suspect, he had 14 $100 bills in his pocket. They were all from Walmart," said Twis Lizasuain of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators said all three admitted to the crime. Guyton had just started working at Walmart before the crimes started, but told deputies that she was recently kicked out of the motel they lived in and needed money.
The trio is behind bars on Wednesday where shoppers said they belong.
"Pretty shocking, obviously not much control over the cashier," said Yvon Provencal, a Walmart shopper.
Each of the three faces six counts of grand theft, and they could get up to five years in prison on each count.