A Schuylkill County man is accused of walking into Walmart, stealing a hair tie to tie up his hair, and then going on a shopping trip in which he didn’t pay for many of the items he selected.
Robert Demaio Jr., 38, of Pottsville, faces one misdemeanor count of retail theft and one misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property.
Police say the charges stem from an incident on Feb. 20 at the Walmart in Saint Clair. According to the police, store asset protection personnel observed Demaio on the sales floor at approximately 3 p.m. that day, where he selected two reusable bags.
Demaio first went to the hair care aisle, removed a single hair tie from a package, used it to tie up his hair, and discarded the empty packaging, police say
Demaio then selected a board game, three “Simpsons” dolls, and a security camera. At that time, asset protection employees observed him concealing merchandise inside one of the reusable bags.
Police say Demaio continued through the store, selecting an extension cord, tape, a lamp, and a PlayStation light. Investigators allege he removed the PlayStation light from its packaging, left the empty box on a shelf, and hid the light and tape inside a reusable bag.
He then selected multiple food items and plastic cutlery before proceeding to a self-checkout register, police say.
Demaio exited the building shortly before 3:30 p.m., allegedly passing all points of sale while in possession of $181.14 worth of unpaid merchandise.
A preliminary hearing before Senior Magisterial District Judge Edward Lewis is scheduled for July 28.
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