Deputies say a quick scan of a banana at a Pinellas County Walmart turned into felony-level trouble for a shopper who allegedly used the cheap fruit to walk off with a pricey computer monitor and a cart full of other unpaid merchandise.
According to court paperwork, a Pinellas Park man was arrested after store surveillance and loss-prevention staff flagged a May 2 self-checkout transaction in which a $329 computer monitor was allegedly scanned as a banana. Investigators say the total value of the unpaid items came to $525.68, and officers detained the shopper before he left the parking lot.
As reported by WTSP, the arrest affidavit identifies the suspect as Bruce Wayne Higgins Jr. and says he was taken into custody at the Walmart Supercenter on U.S. Highway 19.
The affidavit states that Higgins rang up the $329 monitor as a banana, then headed out with unpaid goods valued at $525.68. After officers read him his Miranda rights, he reportedly told detectives the whole thing was a mistake caused by exhaustion from working overnight. The same paperwork says detectives later reported finding large quantities of methamphetamine and other drugs in his apartment during a follow-up search.
How the Video Captured the Mis-Scan
Surveillance clips from inside the store reportedly show the mis-scan at the self-checkout station. Loss-prevention staff reviewed the footage, confirmed the discrepancy, then contacted law enforcement, according to the affidavit. Detectives say a subsequent search tied to the case turned up drugs at the residence listed for Higgins.
Booking History and Earlier Charges
Records show Higgins was previously arrested in June 2025 on a series of charges that included lewd or lascivious battery, traveling to meet a minor and drug-trafficking counts. Public arrest and booking postings that outline those allegations list his residence as St. Petersburg, as shown on Arrests.org.
What He Is Charged With Now
For the Walmart incident, police charged Higgins with petit theft between $100 and $750, according to the affidavit. Whether prosecutors will add charges tied to the reported drug findings will depend on the ongoing investigation and the review by the State Attorney's Office.
The case underscores how something that might look like low-level self-checkout fraud on camera can quickly expand into a much broader criminal probe once loss-prevention staff and detectives start digging through video, receipts and search warrants. Court records and future filings will show where this case goes next.
