My client was shopping at a Lowe’s in Pinellas County. After placing several items in his cart, he proceeded to the garden section checkout area. The Lowe’s employee scanned the items in his cart and gave him a total for checkout. My client paid and exited the store. Immediately upon exiting the store, my client was stopped by a Lowe’s loss prevention officer. The officer accused my client of intentionally concealing items in his cart in an attempt to steal from Lowe’s. Local law enforcement eventually arrived and arrested my client for Retail Theft.
Our firm was contacted and retained immediately following the arrest. I began an investigation and determined the Lowe’s employee, who was responsible for the checkout process, failed to scan the items in question. A call was made to the State Attorney’s office, who indicated they were preparing to file charges for Retail Theft against my client. I relayed my client’s side of the story and encouraged them to watch the surveillance footage of the incident. After a closer look, the prosecutor determined my client did not steal the items in question. The charges were subsequently dropped.