A contract employee in the electronics department of the Mountain View Walmart store is accused of stealing almost $2,300 in iPhones and an activation card.
Stone County Circuit Court records say the woman, Justice Lehelle Brown-Earnest, 19, of Mountain View, has been charged with financial identity fraud, theft of property, and breaking or entering.
In the court record, Mountain View Police allege that on July 18, 2022, Brown-Earnest, during her work schedule at Walmart, purchased an upgrade on a cell phone in the store’s electronic department without getting proper documentation to verify the customer’s identity.
She also activated the cell phone, causing the victim to have to pay for an unauthorized cell phone, authorities say.
Police accuse Earnest of stealing two iPhone 13 models, valued at $1,149 each, and one AT&T activation card, valued at $55.
Investigators say Brown-Earnest committed the crime of breaking or entering by entering a locked cabinet and removing the two iPhones for the purpose of stealing them, according to the court documents.
She was also placed under a trespass order banning her from all Walmart-owned properties.
Charges against Brown-Earnest were filed on July 27, 2022. At that time she was placed on a $10,000 bond.
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