Police: Mother and son caught in shoplifting scheme

Egg Harbor Township, NJ (WTXF) - Police say a mom and son were caught in a shoplifting scheme gone wrong.

58-year-old Donna Hall and her son Nicholas thought the could outsmart police and employees at the Walmart in Egg Harbor Township Tuesday, but police say their little shoplifting scheme backfired and they got locked up.

According to police, Donna Hall told Walmart employees her 8-year-old granddaughter was lost in the store. While employees frantically searched for the child, Nicholas Hall, was busy stuffing shopping bags with clothes and candy, according to police. Investigators say they hoped the lost child distraction would help him make a quick getaway.

Like many stores in our area, Walmart uses a program called Code Adam. When a child or senior citizen goes missing in the store they lock the store down, put out a description of the missing person over the loudspeaker and call police.

Police say as Hall tried to make his escape, the doors were locked and the police pulled up. They quickly figured out the Halls made the whole thing up so they could steal from Walmart, according to investigators. Making matters worse, police say there never was an 8-year-old granddaughter in the first place.

According to police, Nicholas Hall was nabbed with $108 worth of clothing and candy, not an indictable offense, so they were issued a summons and released. Police and Walmart officials say the Code Adam program worked perfectly and employees training paid off big time.