Last Saturday afternoon, an LPD officer apprehended a suspect in the parking lot of a restaurant in Linton. The suspect is accused of pushing a cart full of over $1400 worth of items out the front doors of a nearby store then across the store’s parking lot then into a dumpster area behind the restaurant.

Cameron Allen Chapman, 23, Terre Haute, was arrested by Officer Wayman JR Blazier of the Linton Police Department on Saturday, April 23.

Around 2 PM last Saturday, an asset protection associate from Walmart contacted the LPD to report an active theft was occurring involving a man wearing a camo shirt and blue jeans with a gold chain and dark hair who had pushed a cart full of electronics out the front door without paying for them. He said the man was now at Burger King with the cart and a white GMC Envoy was following the man toward Burger King.

Officer Blazier responded and when he arrived at Burger King he could not find the man in the parking area but the Walmart employee was walking that way and said he thought the man was in the restaurant. Then as Officer Blazier pulled through the parking lot, a man that matched the description came out of the restaurant and started walking towards parked vehicles. When the man saw the officer, he immediately walked between two vehicles. Officer Blazier got out of his patrol vehicle and told the man to stop and the Walmart employee was able to identify the subject who then walked around the front of another vehicle trying to evade Officer Blazier who drew his Taser and told the man to stop or he would be tased. At that point the suspect stopped and was taken into custody.

The suspect was identified as Chapman who admitted the cart of items was just inside the area where the dumpster was located. Chapman allegedly said he needed to make some money for his kids. When asked what was in the cart, Chapman allegedly admitted there was a Cricut machine, some flashlights and other electronic items. Chapman allegedly admitted it was a desperate act, just trying to make ends meet.

Officer Blazier and the Walmart employee inventoried the items in the cart and took photographs of a Cricut machine, five flashlights, an Arlo home security camera set, a black duffel bag, a pair of pants, a package of female pads, an Easy Press 2 sewing machine, a terrarium light bar, and an Air 3. Altogether the retail value of the items totaled $1418.79 with tax. The items were returned to Walmart.

Chapman was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:54 PM with bond set at $4000 surety with 10% cash allowed. As of late Tuesday afternoon, April 26, he had not yet posted bond and was still in custody.

Chapman is facing a charge of theft as a Level 6 felony.