RFP Staff
♦ We seldom if ever report on the army of daily shoplifters who try their luck in Salisbury’s Number One Retailer: the Walmart Super Center at 323 Arlington Road. The attempted pilferage there keeps their loss prevention specialists alert and agile. We’ve been told by one Salisbury Policeman he avoids shopping in the local Walmart and goes to the one in nearby Kannapolis instead. Why? Because its a dice roll that if he shops in the Salisbury Super Center he risks being drafted by Walmart’s loss prevention crew to assist in making a snag. In short off duty police realize their shopping will be cut short in the local Walmart and later they will be tied up in district court witnessing against some Bozo who stuffed steaks in their underwear. We won’t tell you stories from Walmartia where shoplifters taunted loss prevention from outside the sliding doors: “Yo–got less than $40 bucks worth of sh–t. You can’t bust me!” Oh?
But Tuesday was a special day for Walmart’s crack loss prevention crew. Allegedly in their state-of-the-art high tech monitoring lair they spotted an old familiar face rolling a shopping cart through their domain. Not only familiar, but someone previously banned from the 323 Arlington Road: Barbara Upright Link AKA Barbara A. Crain. Allegedly Barbara Upright Link, 58, living on 11700 block of Old Beatty Ford Road in Rockwell was banned from Walmart for attempting to remove an anti-pilferage device on a “Tour-de-Walmartia” last March.
Barbara Upright Link AKA Barbara A. Crain:
Link during her alleged Tuesday shopping romp helped herself to a $6.97 paring knife called “The Pioneer” and took it to Walmart’s electronics section where she allegedly removed a anti-pilferage device from a TV. Link allegedly cut herself and bled on her t-shirt and allegedly 2 Sharp TVs, 4 Vizio TVs, the paring knife, and 2 Bissell vacuum cleaners. These goods were considered damaged by blood and the total losses allegedly amounted to $1971.26.
According to law enforcement sources Link spotted store employees closing around her and she allegedly tried to conceal the bloody knife in her short’s waistband. No go. The knife landed on the floor and she tried to kick it under the counter. She was ordered to leave and responding like nothing out of the ordinary was happening, allegedly asked the employees if she could take the TV out to her vehicle to see if it would fit before she purchased it. The employees told her that wouldn’t happen.
Undaunted, Link allegedly rolled her shopping cart to other sections of Walmart where she loaded it with a case of beer and two Bissell vacuum cleaners. Next the self-checkout counter. No beer purchase–a store employee allegedly determined Link was under-the-influence and told her she couldn’t make the buy. When link left Walmart, the Salisbury Police immediately arrested her and placed her in handcuffs.
Link was charged with injury to personal property (misdemeanor) and trespass (2nd degeree) (misdemeanor). Link received a citation.
Barbara Upright Link AKA Barbara A. Crain’s Previous Record:
