Walmart Thief Escapes On Motorized Wheelchair. Travels Two Miles On It Before Being Caught!

46-year-old Shirley Manson, who has had a history of several criminal cases on her record, recently visited a Walmart store in Fruitport Township, Michigan. The intention was to steal and make a getaway once she got hold of her goods. However, instead of using a traditional getaway tool (also known as a car or bike), Manson decided she would use Walmart’s own motorized wheelchair shopping cart as her mode of escape. And escape she did. According to Mlive, Manson managed to drive away the motorized wheelchair for over two miles before the local law enforcement agencies could catch up with her. An alert Walmart customer was the one who reported the case to the police after he saw Manson leaving the parking lot of Walmart onboard the motorized wheelchair.

According to Modbee, Manson was found to be in possession of several stolen goods with her when the police arrested her. In fact, the total value of stolen goods found with her were estimated at nearly $1,200. She was still sitting on the motorized wheelchair when the police reached her. She apparently told officers that she had tried to call for a ride to escape with the stolen goods – but decided to use the motorized wheelchair since she “didn’t feel like walking.” Shirley initially told police officers that she had purchased the goods from Walmart. However, when asked for a proof of purchase, she could not produce one. Apart from filing charges for stealing goods from the Walmart store, she was also charged for stealing her vehicle for escape – the motorized wheelchair which was owned by Walmart.

When officials ran a background check on her, it became clear that she has had several run-ins with law enforcement agencies before her motorized wheelchair incident. In fact, she already had an outstanding warrant out for her arrest before the Walmart incident happened. Nevertheless, she now ends up with two separate counts – for second-degree retail fraud she had committed earlier, and a new one for organized retail crime – following the motorized wheelchair incident on September 8.

Surprisingly, Shirley was eventually let off by the court on a cash or surety bond. She has been summoned to appear in court on September 23 for the motorized wheelchair case. The court will apparently check if there is enough evidence for her crime.

Police officials, meanwhile, continue to investigate this rather weird motorized wheelchair case. This case reminds us of another one that The Inquisitr had reported a few months ago. How dumb can criminals get these days!?

[Image Via Mlive/Wichita.edu]