Danville couple accused of matching Walmart receipts to stolen items to get refunds

David Gambino, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
·2 min read
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Dec. 15—Employees of a Decatur Walmart accused a Danville couple of grabbing two bags of kitty litter off the shelf, using receipts with the right bar codes to get refunds for the items at the service desk, and using the refund to buy cigarettes.

Douglas Brent Briscoe, 41, was arrested Sunday and charged with third-degree retail theft after he and Tracie Briscoe, 42, were detained by Walmart asset protection associates at 2800 Spring Ave. S.W. at around 4:25 p.m.

An affidavit from a Walmart associate was filed in Morgan County District Court on Wednesday and was attached to an initial statement from the associate, written Monday, describing the alleged theft.

Walmart staff said they first observed Tracie Briscoe in the garden department holding several receipts and attempting to match their bar codes to items in the store, according to the statement.

Tracie and Douglas Briscoe then met in the store and went together to the electronics department where Douglas Briscoe selected a solid-state disk drive, the associate said. Douglas Briscoe tried to open the item after the two moved to the shoe department, according to the statement, but eventually gave up and placed the item into his coat pocket.

From there, the couple moved to the pet department and were able to match their on-hand receipts to two bags of kitty litter that Douglas Briscoe then exchanged at the service desk, according to the statement.

"The male subject joined (the female subject) after getting the refund and purchased two packs of cigarettes with the gift card he had received for the kitty litter," the statement reads.

The two were met by Decatur police and asset protection staff when they left the store. Douglas Briscoe was arrested and Tracie Briscoe was released, according to the statement. Both were banned from the business. The statement lists the total value of items stolen at $172.68.

Douglas Briscoe was held on a $300 bond and released the same day. Court records show he was out on bond for a first-degree theft charge at the time of his arrest. He is accused of stealing $3,500 worth of copper wire from Cerrowire a week after he was allegedly fired by the company last year. The jury trial in that case is scheduled for March 18 in Morgan County Circuit Court.

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438. @DD_DavidGambino