Upper Gwynedd Police Photo by James Short.
A Hatfield Township couple are facing felony retail theft and additional charges after being accused of stealing $211 in groceries from an Upper Gwynedd supermarket on three occasions in May.
Schneika Shinette Scott, 47, of Hatfield Village Apartments, was charged June 21 by Upper Gwynedd Township Police with four felony charges: Retail theft, conspiracy to commit retail theft, retail theft by underringing merchandise and a related conspiracy offense, per court records. She is also charged with misdemeanor receiving stolen property.
Police said it was Scott’s fifth retail theft offense.
Alexander Johnson Jr., 44, was charged with no felonies, but rather five misdemeanor offenses: Retail theft and an associated conspiracy charge, retail theft by under-ringing merchandise and a related conspiracy charge, and receiving stolen property, per court records.
Both defendants are free on $10,000 unsecured bail, set by Magisterial District Judge Maurice Saylor at arraignment June 27.
According to the affidavit, police responded to Weis Markets at 1551 South Valley Forge Road on June 15, and were informed that Scott and Johnson allegedly committed retail thefts on May 18, May 24 and May 30.
Police said the video from May 18 shows the couple enter the store at 3:15 p.m. Johnson, police allege, takes four packs of lamb chop loins and gives them to Scott, and she placed them in her handbag.
At the self-checkout, surveillance allegedly shows Scott putting a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray BBQ sauce in her handbag. Police said Johnson scanned some of the items, but avoids scanning a pack of loin chops, two packs of beef jerky, and two bottles of True Made BBQ sauce, and places them in a shopping bag.
Scott, meanwhile, police said, took a pack of Orbit gum and does not scan it.
Police said the couple returned on May 27 at 1:37 p.m. and filled a shopping cart with items. Scott scanned her club card and put a box of chips by the plastic bag stand, and then puts it back in the cart without scanning it. The couple, police said, put four boxes of Tastykakes, a pack of jerky, and two cartons of Eggland’s Best organic eggs in bags and placed them in the cart without scanning them.
They then paid for the items they scanned and left the store at 1:40 p.m., police said.
On a third visit, on May 30, the couple went to the self-checkout at 8:30 p.m. with a full shopping cart. The couple began scanning items, but did not scan a box of White Castle sliders, two packs of Keebler cookies, a box of Klondike bars, a pack of Thomas cinnamon bread, a box of Cascade dish pods, two packs of prime rib burgers, a pack of Herr’s kettle cooked chips, two boxes of Sandwich Bros. breakfast sandwiches, a carton of eggs, and a bunch of bananas, police said.
Johnson, police said, placed the scanned and unscanned items in plastic bags and into the cart, and then they leave the store.
Police were able to identify Johnson via the Servpro shirt he was wearing in the store’s surveillance video and found him on the company website, police said.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for both defendants Thursday before Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
