Two separate incidents last week in the Fayette Pavilion retail complex included would-be thieves who tussled with police before being subdued and taken to jail.
According to reports, police were dispatched the evening of March 12 to Walmart because a man who was suspected of a previous shoplifting incident was back in the store. This time he had a large television in his possession and had not paid for it. The television was valued at more than $500, which triggers a felony shoplifting charge.
He was trying to leave the store when he encountered police. As officers escorted him to the loss prevention office, he pushed away from them and tried to run, dragging one officer out the door as if he were running with a football, before being apprehended outside.
The encounter with the individual officers amounted to three counts of obstruction for Brandon Zackery, 29, of Riverdale to go along with two felony shoplifting charges, according to the Fayette County Jail log.
Next door that same evening, a man attempted to open a credit application at Conn’s HomePlus in someone else’s name. When police arrived, they located him in the bathroom and attempted to take him into custody, but he resisted and tried to get away.
Once he was apprehended, he was searched and found to have marijuana on his person along with a blue powder that he claimed was medication. It was tested and positively identified as methamphetamine.
Anthony Butler, 31, of Fairburn was charged with a felony count of financial identity fraud as well as felony drug possession, obstruction of an officer and marijuana possession.
