School Assistant Principal Charged with Theft of 98 Items from Walmart

An assistant principal from a Georgia elementary school is facing charges for allegedly stealing 98 items worth around $1,000 from Walmart by employing a trick at the self-checkout.

Courtney Janell Shaw, 47, was taken into custody on January 26 by the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office after authorities received reports of her thefts at the Walmart located in Woodstock, roughly 30 miles from Atlanta, over the course of more than two months.

Employed at Free Home Elementary School, Shaw reportedly pilfered 98 goods totaling $943.97 from Walmart between November and December.

Investigators claim that she used a “stacking” strategy at the self-checkout stations, where she would pile several items on top of each other and only scan one before departing from the store.

On January 12, a Walmart employee supplied law enforcement with surveillance footage of the purported thefts, which led to the identification of Shaw through a driver’s license database.

According to authorities, two vehicles captured in the surveillance video—a 2018 Ford F-150 and a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee—were registered to Shaw and found parked at her home.

Following her arrest, Shaw was booked into the Cherokee County jail and faces one felony count of shoplifting. Later that same day, she was released on a $4,875 bond.

The administration at Free Home Elementary School revealed that Shaw has been placed on administrative leave.

In a statement to Fox 5 Atlanta, the district emphasized that the employee was suspended as soon as the allegations surfaced and reiterated their commitment to the safety of both students and staff, stating that improper behavior will not be tolerated.

Shaw's experience in education spans over twenty years and includes leadership positions at two other elementary institutions.

She is not the first high-ranking educational official accused of theft via Walmart’s self-checkout. In Florida, Bok Academy North principal Gregory Lewis faced similar accusations in March 2025 for allegedly engaging in a ‘skip scanning’ tactic at a self-checkout.