Wednesday, May 2, 2001
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Wednesday, May 2, 2001 |
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Shoplifters home
free at Home Depot? By JOHN MUNFORD
The Home Depot store at the Fayette Pavilion is asking for trouble by not prosecuting shoplifters, authorities say. After causing a serious four-car accident just outside the county line while fleeing a Fayette County sheriff's deputy Wednesday afternoon, three shoplifting suspects had to be set free. That was because Home Depot officials refused to press shoplifting charges against the suspects and because an employee refused to identify the merchandise as being taken from Home Depot, said Maj. Bruce Jordan of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. "I think it's unfortunate that Home Depot is making themselves such an easy target," Jordan said, adding that word will get out quickly among Atlanta area criminals. "I am afraid that type of policy will draw more shoplifters to the Pavilion." Home Depot corporate spokesman Don Harrison said though the suspect set off the store's security alarm when exiting the store, there was no evidence that she stole anything. "We didn't see her walk out of the store with anything in her hand," Harrison said. Authorities found the allegedly stolen merchandise a water faucet in the vehicle, Harrison said, but that's not proof it was stolen from the Fayetteville store, he said. "It may have been proof she was in the Home Depot, but it's not proof that she didn't purchase it," Harrison added. After the alarm sounded, an employee asked the suspect to stop, but the woman refused and went to the parking lot, Harrison said. Store policy forbids pursuing suspected shoplifters into the parking lot for safety reasons, Harrison added. By the time an assistant manager could get up front, the suspect had already fled the area. The store does have security cameras and officials will allow law enforcement officers to review that footage if they wish, Harrison added. Because of the store's inaction with last Wednesday's case, the Sheriff's Department is "re-evaluating" its policy for responding to Home Depot for shoplifting calls, Jordan said. A citizen had noticed the suspects fleeing the store with two expensive faucets after a store employee tried to stop them, Jordan said. The citizen then followed the suspects' black Ford Explorer and called authorities, updating 911 dispatchers with the vehicle's path. A Fayette deputy had spotted the vehicle on Ga. Highway 279 near the county line and turned around to pursue when the Explorer "took off," Jordan said. Seconds later, the driver of the Explorer lost control, rolling the vehicle over and causing a four-car accident at the intersection of Ga. highways 279 and 138 in Fulton County, according to an accident report from the Fulton County Police Department. The driver of the Explorer, Karimah J. Rahseed, 26, of Atlanta, has been charged with hit and run, reckless driving, failure to yield and failure to obey a traffic control device. The Explorer is owned by Rodney H. Fauntleroy of Killeen, Texas, the report stated.
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