A Toledo Police officer is facing charges after being accused of stealing from Walmart stores in Holland and Toledo, including once while wearing a department T-shirt.
Officer Gregory Long, 42, was charged with two counts of theft in Holland after two incidents at the Walmart on McCord Road and Spring Meadows Drive. According to a Holland Police complaint, on May 22, Long was caught on video at a self-checkout bagging but not scanning a $1.97 block of Great Value mild cheddar cheese. Less than two weeks later, on June 4, he allegedly failed to scan cinnamon sticks and two razor blades worth $28.92. The overall amount of product from both incidents was $30.89.
Police said the inquiry began after Walmart loss prevention personnel at Toledo’s Glendale Avenue store reported suspicious activities regarding Long. They alerted the Holland location, and detectives inspected surveillance footage. Detectives linked the checkout video to parking lot footage of Long’s vehicle, which matched both his license plate and Bureau of Motor Vehicle data.
The report also states that Long was wearing a Toledo Police Department T-shirt with a badge emblem during one of the thefts. Walmart is pursuing charges with law enforcement.
He is suspected of two separate instances last month at the Glendale business. According to a Toledo Police complaint on July 1, Long went to a self-checkout and underscanned products. He was subsequently corrected about his missing items, but he continued to underscan merchandise and departed the store without paying, according to the complaint. The data shows that the store suffered a loss of $3.57.
On July 17, Long is accused of taking two bags of chocolate turtles from the confectionery aisle and combining them into one bag. According to a Toledo Police report, he then exited the store after paying for one bag at the self-checkout. The loss was stated at $12.67.
The business did submit police complaints, but Long was not charged in the Toledo events.
According to both Toledo police reports, the store’s loss prevention crew was uncomfortable attempting to detain Long since he was a recognized police officer. Long is no longer permitted on Walmart or Sam’s Club property, according to Toledo Police and Walmart’s loss prevention team.
Internal affairs is investigating Long, according to a Toledo Police representative, who declined to comment further due to contractual restrictions.
Long is expected to be arraigned in Sylvania Municipal Court on September 3 for the alleged Holland theft.
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