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Convicted shoplifter gets 60 days in jail from Judge Sams By JOHN
MUNFORD
When Danny E. Barnett pushed a shopping cart full of unbagged groceries past the cash registers and into the front lobby of the Fayetteville Publix grocery store in June of last year, he was confronted by an employee who thought he was planning to take off with the merchandise. Barnett contends he planned to return inside the store to pay for the groceries after entering the lobby to get water that was on sale. He also said he had a blank check in his wallet to pay for the groceries, but Fayetteville police officer Bob Stavenger testified that when Barnett was arrested, there was no check, no cash nor any credit cards in Barnett's wallet. A Fayette County State Court Jury found Barnett guilty Wednesday of shoplifting. State Court Judge Fletcher Sams sentenced Barnett, 42, of Clayton County, to 60 days in jail. Barnett will serve the remainder of the year sentence on probation and he must also stay away from the Fayette Pavilion where the incident occurred, according to the judge's order. Melissa Karanicas, who was front end supervisor for the store when the incident occurred, testified that when she confronted Barnett the shopping cart full of groceries was already on the concrete part of the sidewalk outside the front lobby. Barnett admitted that he swore at Karanicas during the confrontation before retreating to his car in the parking lot. Barnett also testified that he had given the last amount of cash from his wallet to his son to use at the Dixieland amusement park. Karanicas said the total cost of the items in Barnett's cart eclipsed $200 when she and another employee rang them up after he left.
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