An employee of a Schuylkill County Walmart is accused of stealing hundreds of dollars from a cash register over the course of a month.
Police in Saint Clair say they were called to the Walmart there late last month regarding an internal theft investigation conducted by management.
Management reportedly told police they had noticed numerous cash shortages on a single register at the Auto Care Center in a short amount of time. After reviewing surveillance footage, management told police that Julio Gutierrez, 40, of Hazleton, had pocketed $625 over the course of several incidents.
When he was confronted by the accusations, Gutierrez allegedly told police Walmart was not paying him enough money and that he was sending money to his mother, who was sick and lived out of state.
The thefts allegedly occurred between Oct. 9 and Nov. 7 last year, police say. During four of the six incidents, Gutierrez allegedly stole $100. In one, he reportedly took $145 and in another, $85.
In nearly all the incidents, police say Gutierrez is seen on video getting the cash drawer open either by ringing out a customer or putting in a fake transaction if a customer pays by credit or debit card to get the cash drawer to open.
There was one alleged incident in which Gutierrez scans a Mountain Dew, doesn’t put any money in the register for it, but takes out cash. In another, he allegedly scanned an air freshener, puts $1 in the cash drawer and takes out more money.
Gutierrez has been charged with misdemeanor counts of theft and receiving stolen property. He’s been ordered to appear at a preliminary hearing on those charges at District Court in Port Carbon on March 31.
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