Assistant principal accused of swiping 98 items from Walmart using brazen self-checkout scheme

A Georgia elementary school assistant principal has been accused of brazenly stealing 98 items worth about $1,000 from Walmart using a “stacking” scheme at self-checkout kiosks.Courtney Janell Shaw, 47, was arrested Monday by the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office after authorities were alerted that she had been swiping merchandise from the retail giant in Woodstock, about 30 miles outside Atlanta, for more than two months, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.Shaw — an assistant principal at Free Home Elementary School — allegedly stole 98 items valued at $943.97 from Walmart between November and December.Investigators said Shaw used a “stacking” method at self-checkout kiosks, placing multiple items on top of one another and scanning only one before leaving the store.A Walmart employee provided authorities with surveillance footage of the alleged thefts on Jan.12 and used a driver’s license database to identify Shaw as the suspect, according to the outlet.Authorities said two suspicious vehicles seen in the surveillance footage — a 2018 Ford F-150 and a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee — were registered to Shaw and later located at her residence.Shaw was booked into the Cherokee County jail and charged with one felony count of shoplifting following her arrest on Monday.The mother of one was released later that day on a $4,875 bond.Officials at Free Home Elementary School in Cherokee County said Shaw has been placed on administrative leave.“Immediately upon these allegations being reported, the employee was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of internal and law enforcement investigations,” the district told Fox 5 Atlanta.“Maintaining the safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority and inappropriate conduct will never be tolerated.”The veteran educator’s career spans more than two decades and includes leadership roles as an assistant principal at two other elementary schools.Her career began as a fifth-grade teacher in North Car...