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Florida sheriff: Man used Kool-Aid packets to steal nearly $1K worth of merchandise from Walmart

Deputies say the man had done something similar at the same store a few months prior.
Credit: Collier County Sheriff's Office

NAPLES, Fla. — A Kool-Aid packet costs 24 cents at Walmart. Deputies say a man bought three of them and a few other items worth less than $25 and tried to walk out of the store with nearly $1,000 worth of store merchandise. 

Bradley D. Young, 37, was arrested and charged with grand theft and shoplifting. 

Deputies say they were called to a Walmart in Naples Sunday afternoon for a report of a theft in progress. A store loss prevention officer watched Young scan items at a self check-out. She said Young had the Kool-Aid packets hidden in his hand as he scanned the items so that the items would ring up as 24 cents rather than the actual price. 

Collier County deputies say Young rang up a total of three Kool-Aid packets and a few other small items for a total of $24.44. The actual total of what he "bought" was $994.13, deputies said. 

The loss prevention officer told deputies she recognized Young from an incident back in August where he tried to walk out of the store with items he hadn't purchased. Because of this, she followed him around the store and told deputies she watched him scan items that were in his shopping cart at the self check-out. She said those items also included a backpack that contained more items he hadn't paid for. 

She also told deputies Young took two of the items, a soda, and fan, to customer service and got a refund of just under $10 after he showed the employee a photo of a receipt on his cell phone. 

Young then walked out of the store with a shopping cart full of unpaid items including a scooter worth $248, a dual navigation system worth $119.87 and $160 worth of batteries. 

Deputies soon arrived at the Walmart and arrested Young. Deputies say records show Young is a convicted felon out of Ohio. 

A 37-year-old man faces a felony charge after deputies say he used a 24-cent Kool-Aid packet to ring up nearly $1,000...

Posted by Collier County Sheriff's Office on Monday, October 19, 2020

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