need to know
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A Georgia elementary school vice principal was arrested on January 19 and charged with shoplifting
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The woman allegedly stole approximately 98 items from a local Walmart between November and December 2025, totaling $943.97
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Investigators identified the woman and located the vehicle she allegedly used in the crime
An assistant principal at a Georgia elementary school was arrested for allegedly stealing nearly $1,000 worth of merchandise from a local Walmart.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) said 47-year-old Courtney Janell Shaw was arrested on Monday, January 19 and charged with shoplifting.
CCSO said in an incident report obtained by PEOPLE that they were notified of the case by a Walmart in Woodstock, which filed a shoplifting case against the suspect. The store claimed that the 47-year-old man visited the store multiple times between November 2 and December 31, 2025.
A Walmart employee claimed to the sheriff that Shaw “would stack items on top of each other” and only scan “one of them.” She would then put the two items into a bag or shopping cart and “go around all the points of sale and leave the store.”
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Walmart employees said in incident reports that the assistant principal stole approximately 98 items totaling $943.97 during the two months she went to the store.
Cameras installed in the parking lot showed the suspect leaving the store in a gray Jeep or a gray pickup truck on different days. However, the camera was unable to identify the vehicle’s license plate number.
Police eventually identified Shaw as the woman involved and found two vehicles at her home — a 2018 gray Ford F150 and a 2020 gray Jeep Grand Cherokee — that matched descriptions and photos provided by Walmart employees.
According to the CCSO, Walmart requested charges against Shaw and attempted to have her “criminally trespass” into the store. She was arrested and jailed, but was released the same day on $4,875 bail.
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According to Fox5 Atlanta, CBS News and reports, Shaw will serve as assistant principal at Free Home Elementary in 2024 cherokee tribune. The Cherokee County School District confirmed to the media in a statement that Shaw was an employee at the school but has since been placed on “administrative leave.”
“Once these allegations were reported, the employee was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of internal and law enforcement investigations,” the district told the outlet in a statement. “Maintaining the safety of our students and staff is our top priority and any inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.”
The Cherokee County School District did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Shaw began her career as a fifth-grade teacher in North Carolina and worked in the education industry for more than two decades, CBS News reported. She taught in several states, including Florida, before moving to Georgia in 2006.
Read the original article on People