WAVERLY, Ohio — The Waverly Police Department is asking for the public’s help identifying a person suspected of switching barcodes on merchandise to pay less than the correct price before checkout.
The department released two surveillance images to help identify the suspect and a vehicle believed to be connected to the case. One image, time-stamped July 19 at 8:03 a.m., shows a person in a black hooded sweatshirt pushing a loaded shopping cart near a store exit. A second image, time-stamped roughly two minutes later, shows a dark-colored sedan in a parking lot.
Barcode switching, sometimes called “ticket switching,” is a form of retail theft in which a shopper swaps the price tag or barcode on a higher-priced item with one from a cheaper product, then pays the lower price at checkout. It is prosecuted under Ohio’s theft statutes and can rise to a felony depending on the value of the merchandise involved.
The Waverly Police Department did not identify the store where the incident occurred or say how many times the suspect has been observed engaging in the practice. Anyone with information is asked to submit an anonymous tip through the department’s website, Waverlypd.net, the department said in a Facebook post.
Suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Waverly Police Department.
