COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - Surveillance video shows that a cashier let a Columbus city councilman leave a store without paying for hundreds of dollars in merchandise.
The Commercial Dispatch reports the videos show Councilman Stephen Jones took merchandise from a Bargain Hunt store that was never scanned.
Each time, Jones was checked out by cashier Sharon Renae Smith. The 51-year-old is charged with felony embezzlement for allowing at least seven customers to leave the store without paying for more than $3,000 in merchandise over several months.
Jones has previously denied wrongdoing, saying “I paid for all my stuff.”
The Dispatch obtained the video and purchase records from police through a records request.
Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton says Bargain Hunt only intends to prosecute Smith, but he released reports listing Jones and his wife.
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Information from: The Commercial Dispatch, http://www.cdispatch.com
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