Police: Cashier helped customer steal goods from Walmart

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — According to police, a surveillance camera over a Walmart checkout shows cashier Sandra Johnson, 75, pretending to scan the bar codes on store items. But, police said, she only made it look that way, and the customer on walked away with free groceries.

"If you look close at the video, you'll see that several items don't pass over the scanner. She's either keeping it away from the scanner or putting something under it so it doesn't get scanned," said Sgt. Eugene Griffith of the New Smyrna Beach Police Dept.

Griffith said the transaction, which happened at a store on State Road 44 in New Smyrna Beach, took about 10 minutes.

According to police, on three different days in November and December, Johnson committed the same type of transaction with the same customer.

"She wouldn't identify the person that was in the video. We're pretty sure we know who it is, but at this time we're only going to charge the employee," said Griffith.

According to county records, Johnson has owned her home since the 1980s. It's the same house where police arrested Kelly Stephen and James Hughes in a meth lab bust in October.

Johnson was not named in that investigation.

Neighbors told WFTV's Blaine Tolison that she is a kind woman. Many were surprised to find out police arrested her and charged her with grand theft.

WFTV