In a bid to secure electronics and other items without parting with their money, two men commandeered six shopping carts of merchandise at an Indian Trail Walmart earlier this week. As reported by the Union County Sheriff's Office, the pair's attempt at an impromptu five-finger discount was quickly noticed by the store's loss prevention staff, who promptly informed local authorities.
The would-be shoplifters, age 34 and 55, appeared to hit an immediate snag in their plan when two deputies, freshly disentangled from a traffic stop nearby, intervened. The first thief, Cordez Byrum, made an attempt to flee by car but didn't manage to collect his accomplice, Antonio Staton, who was apprehended on foot just a stone's throw from the store. The haul they tried to hijack tallied above $1,700, an amount that poses serious questions but can no longer pose as merchandise on Walmart's shelves.
In the course of the arrest, law enforcement discovered Byrum, fresh off parole with a history nestled in the Department of Adult Corrections, had also been avoiding his child support payments—hence, the outstanding warrants. On the flip side, Staton found himself in familiar territory, holding an outstanding warrant linked to previous charges of fraud and theft.
Once apprehended, the duo was escorted to the Union County Detention Center. There, they faced no complicated self-service kiosks but instead were processed by staff dedicated to providing what the Sheriff's Office dubs "exceptional customer service." Byrum got his outstanding warrants served, and together with Staton, was charged with Felony Larceny for, the Walmart fiasco. In the aftermath, Staton's bond was secured at $6,000, as confirmed by the Sheriff's Office, as per Union County Sheriff's Office.
The aftermath serves as a stark reminder of the risks entailed in illegal activities and the ever-watchful eyes of loss prevention teams. As these two men discovered, the cost of stealing often exceeds the price tags they sought to evade, with the law ensuring that such transactions are promptly rectified at the expense of the perpetrators' freedom.
