Aberdeen, North Carolina — Aberdeen police reported this week that they had finally tracked down and arrested a suspect in a Walmart self-checkout theft nearly three years ago.
According to an Aberdeen Police Department news release issued on Wednesday, the incident began on December 9, 2021, when officers were dispatched to the town’s Walmart at 250 Turner St.
The Walmart call was about a person who had committed larceny and “intentional miss-scanning of items,” according to the news release.
When police came, they spoke with Walmart security, who stated that a man was “intentionally under-ringing” products at the self-checkout.
Aberdeen police investigators then investigated the case, analyzing witness testimony and reviewing CCTV footage, according to officials.
According to the news release, police officers later identified the suspect as William Matthew Branch, 35, of Rockingham.
Branch was given a warrant on January 24, 2022, for misdemeanor larceny and felony obtaining property under false pretenses, according to police.
“Attempts were made to locate Branch but he was not apprehended in Moore County,” police reported.
According to officials, Branch was discovered in Richmond County on November 3 and arrested.
He was granted a $1,500 secured bond by a Richmond County Magistrate, according to the news release.