Underground Meth Labs, Naked Sock Thieves, And More: 8 Weird Crimes At Walmart

Walmart: It’s great for low prices, sure, but it's also pretty great for people-watching and really bizarre crimes. If you've ever felt like the chain is a breeding ground for strange behavior, you're vindicated: It may be scientifically proven. A study published in the British Journal of Criminology in 2014 and reported in the Huffington Post linked Walmart stores to higher crime rates in counties around the country. Walmart disputed that study’s findings, calling it a flawed study that relies on outdated information — but still! Crazy, outlandish incidents have certainly happened plenty of times at Walmarts all over.

Here are the eight strangest, most bizarre incidents to happen in a Walmart.

1. Nude sock thief

This guy needed more than just socks! In 2012, a naked man was spotted strolling around a Walmart in Exton, Pennsylvania. He had allegedly stripped his clothes off in the parking lot before entering the store, according to The Associated Press.

Verdon Lamont Taylor, 32, was arrested, but not before he allegedly tried to swipe a pair of socks. Police had to use a stun gun on him while arresting him. Taylor was charged with aggravated assault and indecent exposure.

2. Naked with meth

That's not the only time a man has been arrested for being naked in a Walmart. A 49-year-old Arizona man, Robert Kanoff, was arrested in 2017 after he strolled into a Walmart wearing only shoes and carrying meth. His two friends admitted they dropped him off because they thought it'd be funny.

Kanoff was arrested for indecent exposure, public sexual indecency, disorderly conduct and possession of dangerous drugs.

3. Football team tackles shoplifter

A high school football team tackled a shoplifter in Callaway, Florida in 2013. (Thankfully for the team, this thief wasn’t naked.) Football players from a local high school, Rutherford High School, were in front of the store fundraising for new uniforms. Witness Angela Brooks told WJHG in Panama Beach, Florida, "All of a sudden we looked and of course there's a cop there and a guy comes flying in and tells the boys to go after him."

The football players caught up with the shoplifter, who was not identified, and subdued him until police arrived on scene.

4. Semen attack

In 2013, a man allegedly tossed semen on a female customer who was attempting to have a normal shopping experience inside a New Castle, Delaware Walmart.

According to police, Frank J. Short Jr., then 22, walked past the 20-year-old victim and said, “Excuse me.” That woman then “suddenly felt something wet on her buttocks, thigh, and leg.” At first, he claimed he merely sneezed and shook his hands off as he passed her. However, he later allegedly admitted to tossing semen on the shopper because he thought she was “hot.” He was booked on harassment, disorderly conduct, and other charges according to CBS Philly.

5. Super glued to a toilet

Talk about a sticky situation. An innocent man was shopping at a Walmart in Elkton, Maryland in 2011 when nature called. He sat down on a toilet in one of the center’s restrooms. Unfortunately for him, someone had poured super glue all over the seat before he sat down on it. Emergency workers had to remove him from the toilet bowl, according to The Associated Press. It’s not clear how long the man, who was not identified, was stuck on the toilet. Police didn’t catch the person behind the prank but said that if they did, that person could face second-degree assault charges.

6. “Shake-and-baking” meth

In 2012, a man was arrested for allegedly attempting to make methamphetamine inside a Mentor, Ohio Walmart store. James Richardson, 37, caught the eye of security after they allegedly spotted him putting items in his shopping cart that are commonly used to cook meth, according to Fox8 in Cleveland. His mug shot, courtesy of the Mentor Police Department, is below.

That was just the tip of the iceberg, though. Richardson was allegedly caught trying to mix those items in a salt shaker from the store and was allegedly shaking the salt shaker. This "one-pot" method of meth making is known as “shake-and-bake,” according to The New York Daily News.

7. Underground meth lab

Speaking of meth, an entire alleged meth lab was found under a Walmart parking lot in Amherst, New York in 2016. The suspected lab was hidden 12 feet under the heavily trafficked parking lot, according to The Washington Post. Peter Miller, 18, was arrested in connection to that alleged lab. There is no record of him being convicted. The below footage is of authorities investigating the alleged lab.

8. Fish Murder

Back in 2017, four people walked into a Byran, Texas Walmart with a nefarious intent. It's believed they poured bleach into a Walmart fish tank, killing $1,000 worth of fish, even recording the act. Police released surveillance footage of the happy, laughing group leaving the store, but there's no record of the suspects ever getting identified or apprehended.

[Photo: Getty Images]