Accused of shoplifting at Target

State - California

Hi,

Long story but I'll try my best to shorten it------I have a brother who was an employee at Target. A STAR associate,honest and hardworking guy who was very loved and appreciated equally, by some in the Management and customers EXCEPT a few co-workers who were not very happy with his success.One day after he got off work, he decided to buy some stuff before leaving for home. Among other things like toilet tissues,printer cartridge etc. he had picked up a medication from the pharmacy (which his wife needed but NOT urgently) but was in two minds whether to buy it or not so he kept it in the cart for the timebeing toying with the idea to buy it or not. Now he reaches the cash register to pay for the stuff, takes the small stuff out out and leaves the big one in the cart for the cashier girl to scan it from there only and then gets busy with paying for the stuff.He has completely forgotten to take out the small bottle of medicine and since it got hidden under the big toilet tissue package the cashier didn't bother to check the cart and take it out.After paying for everything my brother leaves the store - their alarms didn't go on when they should have and usually do - and he has not gone even two steps when a security guy comes running after him and asks him politely to follow him. Even at this point my brother who has a history of absentmindedness and has been known to lock his car keys in the car, leave home without locking the main door etc., doesn't remember that he has that unpaid for medicine in his cart. He is taken to the office and asked if he has paid for everything that he has in the cart, when he ( from his side truthfully) says yes he is coolly shown the medicine bottle that was lying hidden under the tissues.He pleads not gulity saying that he had not been sure about buying it and had forgotten to take it out of the cart or that it was even lying there.BUT no one heard his pleas,police was called and he was taken to the jail - no handcuffs - and kept there for almost 2 days and was sent home after a bail of $5000 was paid.He was not treated badly in anyway anywhere( except the humilation he had to go through). He was told to appear in court after one month.

Now,I have few concerns and questions regarding all this, if anyone can help me with that, please.

1)Considering the excellent record of my brother was it realy necessary to call in the police? Did he commit SUCH a big crime?! The medicine was worth $90 so couldn't they have just asked him to pay the fine and told him to stay away from the store for a certain period of time ? He's very honest, gentle and clean guy who wouldn't hurt a soul, doesn't drink or smoke, never got even a speeding ticket in his life, well respected by almost everyone he knows.

2) He had paid for EVERYTHING in his cart and even if he did make a mistake of forgetting medicine bottle and not taking it out wasn't it negligence on the part of the cashier girl also to make sure that there wasn't anything else there under the big tissue package? I know that's what most of the cahiers usually do THEN why was only my brother punished and humilated so severely ?

3) Another thing is, that, I am smelling a rat here.I have seen the alarms go on soooo often at Target, sometimes even when there isn't a major reason for them to go on, then how come they didn't go on while my brother was getting out of the store with an unpaid for item? So I'm thinking here, were they deliberately turned off just for second to let my brother pass so that they could catch hold of him just as soon as he stepped out of the store becoz I'm sure his movements were being monitored very closely and video taped. I'm saying all this because I know for a fact that there were a few people among his co-workers there who were not very happy with his success with the management and had tried there best to harass him off and on about something or the other.So maybe they made full use of the situation my brother innocently offered to them and found a reason to humilate him and get rid off him for good.By the way,they have cleared his accounts so it seems that he has been terminated from his job even though nothing has been given to him in writing.

4) Now, my concern is that what can we expect from the court ? Will he be only asked to pay the fine or will he be sent to jail even though it was his first ever crime ?

We all are sooooo worried about him and he has not been sleeping or eating well at all! I would really appreciate whatever help you can give.

Thanks.

He was stealing and got caught. That can get anybody a trip to jail.

Was the $90 medication a controlled substance?

Too much conspiracy here to go around. What city in Cali was he located in? What do you mean by STAR? WalMart has STAR cashiers, but Target does not. Also, it is a violation at Target to manipulate the alarms at the doors. It will get you fired in a heartbeat. Also, the alarms can only be turned off manually which involves someone at the door turning a key. Get a lawyer, have them get a copy of the videotape and go from there. A lawyer should be able to help you out.

"Too much conspiracy here to go around. What city in Cali was he located in? What do you mean by STAR? WalMart has STAR cashiers, but Target does not. Also, it is a violation at Target to manipulate the alarms at the doors. It will get you fired in a heartbeat. Also, the alarms can only be turned off manually which involves someone at the door turning a key."

What?? No witch hunt bam? I would have thought you'd personally have a full blown internal investigation and told him how to get out of jail free by now.....you're slippin.

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Quoting icechip

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.....negligence on the part of the cashier girl.....

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I wonder if I try one like this the next time I get stopped for speeding; "Honest officer, it was the negligence on the part of my gas pedal, and my SuperChip, and my K&N air filter, that allowed me to push it up to the mid 80s in a 60mph zone!!!"

Just how far do ya think that'll fly?

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Quoting PaulE

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What?? No witch hunt bam? I would have thought you'd personally have a full blown internal investigation and told him how to get out of jail free by now.....you're slippin.

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Not much of the story makes sense. In the other scenarios, the posters knew too much and posted semi accurate information about their cases. Their cases had merit to them. This case just rings of falsehoods.

Sorry to dissapoint PaulE, no witch hunt here. In fact, I am calling this poster out and saying this incident never happened.

Hi, I used to be a Target employee. I know at my store ALL prescriptions had to be paid for in the pharmacy. I'm just wondering how you got the prescription. If this isn't a script, then what OTC drug is $90? 5K seems like a very high bail for a petty theft to me.

BINGO!!!! We have a winner Ladies and Gentlemen!! I was wondering if someone was going to ring the bell....surprise surprise it wasn't the Target expert.

You Sir pick up your teddy bear at the door.

It seems a very long post for a one time poster.

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Quoting johnnyman2001

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Hi, I used to be a Target employee. I know at my store ALL prescriptions had to be paid for in the pharmacy. I'm just wondering how you got the prescription. If this isn't a script, then what OTC drug is $90? 5K seems like a very high bail for a petty theft to me.

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Target does not require all prescriptions to be paid for at the pharmacy - it is encouraged, but not required. The only "drugs" that are required to be checked out in the pharmacy are sudafed and the likes. There has to be more to the story than meets the eye. In fact, after a quick search of the CIRS, no report nationwide was made in the days before or after this post about an internal prescription theft (or external) - there were not even any single OTC ($90) cases.