ARLINGTON — The thefts at the Arlington Walmart were innocuous enough at first.
On Dec. 12, a $20 bill went missing. So did a Pepsi.
Then things escalated quickly.
A Walmart employee working the night shift allegedly stole more than $5,600 between Dec. 12 and Dec. 18. The woman, 18, lives in Arlington.
After taking the soda, the woman used the cash register to give herself a $75 Google gift card and a $165 PlayStation gift card, according to a police report. She reportedly entered the option to pay with cash, but never put money inside the register.
On the 14th, she put hundreds of dollars onto her debit card throughout multiple transactions, court papers say. She did the same when she worked another shift Dec. 16, records show.
She made her last transaction on the 18th, for another $500, according to the documents.
That night, an employee called Arlington police and said he was firing her for stealing.
Police found the suspect in the backroom. They asked her why she was putting money on her card. She said she never thought she would get caught.
“I know it is wrong, but I just wanted to feel something,” she reportedly said.
She was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of first-degree theft.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
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