BUCKHANNON – A Harrison County man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly attempting to steal a television from the Buckhannon Walmart the week prior.
Chad W. Mullooly, 38, of Clarksburg, was arrested for shoplifting third offense, a felony.
According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by investigating officer Sgt. Darin Hissam with the Buckhannon Police Department, on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, Mullooly placed two packages of dog treats and a flat-screen television in a shopping cart at Walmart in Buckhannon.
He then went into the hardware section, where he was witnessed by the store’s Loss Prevention staff as he utilized a pair of wire cutters to cut the security device from the television box. Mullooly then disposed of the security device wrapping in the housewares department and allegedly pushed the cart and merchandise through a closed-register lane into the Customer Service desk area.
He then allegedly passed all other points of sale without paying for the merchandise and attempted to leave the store through the grocery-side entrance. At this point, Loss Prevention staff members attempted to detain him, but he allegedly abandoned the merchandise and fled on foot, inadvertently leaving his iPhone on top of the television, the complaint says.
Loss Prevention staff collected his phone and watched as he entered a silver Dodge Ram with a large tank/box in the back and drove away.
Hissam located a vehicle matching the description parked in the Lowe’s parking lot with a male subject standing outside, appearing to be looking for something in the vehicle. Hissam asked the Upshur E911 Communication Center to run the registration on the vehicle. Additionally, when Hissam arrived at Walmart, Loss Prevention turned Mullooly’s phones over to Hissam.
The iPhone’s number was determined to belong to Mullooly, who is also the registered owner of the silver Dodge Ram Hissam previously located, according to the police report. The merchandise was valued at $346.75. Mullooly has two previous convictions for shoplifting both dated Sept. 3, 2020; however, the charges were for separate offenses committed on the same date in Harrison County, the file states.
Upshur County Magistrate Alan Suder set bail at $10,000 cash or surety, and as of Thursday evening, Mullooly was no longer listed on the West Virginia Division of Corrections & Rehabilitation website.
The potential penalty for a conviction of shoplifting third offense is confinement in the penitentiary for not less than one year nor more than 10 years and a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $5,000. At least one year shall actually be spent in confinement, which is not subject to probation.
