A longtime educator in Georgia is in trouble with the law after police say she figured out a way to steal from Walmart without anyone noticing for months. Courtney Shaw, an assistant principal at Free Home Elementary School, was arrested last week.
Officers claim she visited the same store nearly 100 times in just two months and walked out with unpaid items almost every single time.
The police report paints a picture of a simple trick used over and over again. According to investigators, Shaw went to the Walmart on Bells Ferry Road in Woodstock. When she went to the self-checkout lane, she would allegedly stack two items on top of each other.
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She would scan the bottom one, but the machine wouldn’t pick up the top one. Then, she would put both items in her bag or cart. Police say she did this 98 times between early November and the end of December 2025.
In total, officials believe she took more than $900 worth of goods, though the report didn’t list exactly what items she was taking.
Shaw, 47, has worked in schools for more than 20 years. She started working at Free Home Elementary in 2024. Before that, she spent eight years helping lead Bascomb Elementary School. Because of the arrest, the Cherokee County School District has placed her on administrative leave.
Shaw was booked into the Cherokee County Jail on January 19. She didn’t stay long, though. She was released after posting a bond of nearly $5,000. She is facing felony shoplifting charges and is scheduled to be back in court on March 5.
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