School principal ‘caught skip-scanning’ at Walmart self-checkout – he gave odd excuse after workers noticed plate trick - TalkLPnews Skip to content

School principal ‘caught skip-scanning’ at Walmart self-checkout – he gave odd excuse after workers noticed plate trick

A MIDDLE school principal has been accused of stealing at Walmart and he gave cops a bizarre excuse when he was confronted.

Gregory Lewis, 54, allegedly stole items at self-checkout using a sick trick known as “skip-scanning.”

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Gregory Lewis, the principal at Bok Academy North, when he was booked in Polk County Jail on SaturdayCredit: Polk Sheriff
Police body camera footage of a man outside a Walmart.

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Lewis speaking to Winter Haven Police Department officers outside the Walmart in body camera footageCredit: Winter Haven Police Department
Self-checkout kiosks in a Walmart megastore.

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Lewis was seen allegedly putting plates in between items at the Walmart self-checkout line (stock image)Credit: Getty

Lewis was arrested at Walmart in Winter Haven, Florida, on Saturday, according to the Winter Haven Police Department.

He was ringing up items at around 1:30 pm when workers noticed him place a bag of disposable foam plates between more costly items, WHPD wrote in an arrest affidavit obtained by NBC affiliate WFLA.

Lewis allegedly stole a large pack of light bulbs, bacon, and frozen butterfly shrimp.

The items cost $37.45 in total.

READ MORE ON WALMART

When police confronted him, he allegedly admitted to skip-scanning, which involves customers paying for some items and not others.

He told cops his friends had gotten away with stealing from stores using the same method and he wanted to try it.

“We sit around talking, ‘Hey I did this,'” Lewis told cops in body camera footage from his arrest.

“Let me try and see what I can get away with.”

He added, “I did something dumb today and I understand it.”

However, Lewis had stolen from the same Walmart using the method before, according to the arrest affidavit.

Walmart customer banned from every store in US over self checkout ‘watch’ trick that let them pay $1 for expensive items

Lewis was booked at the Polk County Jail on Saturday on a charge of petit theft.

His mug shot shows him looking dazed and wearing an orange jumpsuit.

He was released the next day after paying a $250 bond.

Lewis became the principal at Edward W. Bok Academy North in August 2024, according to a Facebook post at the time.

He no longer works at the school in Lake Wales, Florida, 53 miles south of Orlando, officials told The U.S. Sun.

Walmart shoplifting arrests

  • Ashley Cross was caught on security cameras using an old watch battery barcode to scan expensive products for just $1
  • Ex-officer Mark Leenerts stole $317.88 worth of merchandise from Walmart stores in Topeka, Kansas
  • Jeremiah Boyer raked in $52,800 in fees on 874 orders while working for Walmart’s online delivery service Spark
  • Brent Adam Brooks, of Sylva, North Carolina, was arrested after trying to steal a $198 Frigidaire ice maker
  • Kabreshia Caldwell targeted innocent senior citizen customers at Walmart stores across Northeast Florida, stealing a total of $10,000
  • Katherine Gordon allegedly stole $80 worth of groceries by replacing barcodes on certain produce items

Alricky Smith, the interim superintendent for Lake Wales Charter Schools, had no further comment on the arrest.

It’s unclear if Lewis was fired or quit and he refused to comment when approached by WFLA.

Read More on The US Sun

Last summer, a rise in skip-scanning led cops to enforce more patrols as arrests skyrocketed.

A shocking survey in 2023 revealed nearly 20% of American shoppers admitted to skip-scanning items, The U.S. Sun previously reported.

A father and son using self-checkout at a Walmart.

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Skip-scanning has become a popular form of theft at self-checkouts (stock image)Credit: Getty

https://www.the-sun.com/news/13914332/walmart-skip-scanning-greg-lewis-principal/