Brittany Pauline Hunton, 38, of Starke was sentenced to 12 months’ probation, and Jon Michael Johnson, 42, of Melrose was sentenced to six months’ probation after pleading to stealing from Starke’s Walmart using the store’s self-checkout terminals.
According to court papers, on September 16, Walmart loss prevention officers told Starke police they observed Hunton checking out items using bar codes from cheaper products. Officer Jay Raulerson wrote that video and real-time scanning verified that the items being scanned by Hunton were not those she placed in bags. Raulerson added that when questioned, the defendant admitted to the thefts.
On January 21, Walmart employees told police Johnson was under ringing merchandise at the self-checkout. The defendant claimed that he thought some of the scanned items were stuck together and that the under-ringing was an honest mistake.
During sentencing on October 31, Judge D. Tatum Davis also ordered the pair to take an anti-theft course and to stay away from Walmart during their probation periods. Hunton was also required to perform 50 hours of community service.
