The Code Of The Bar: He Called It Macaroni

A recent complaint filed by Ohio Disciplinary Counsel alleges conduct that led to a criminal mischief conviction.

The date: December 23, 2017.

The place: Walmarts in Whitehall, Ohio.

The crime:

Respondent “printed his own UPC barcodes for low-cost items including, but not limited to, sweet potatoes and elbow macaroni.” He affixed the barcodes to more expensive items such as electronics and a rug and went through the self-checkout, paying $27.35 for $367.21 in goods.

He was noticed and stopped by a Walmart employee, who recovered the items. A Whitehall police officer tried to stop him outside the store and he was tasered and briefly hospitalized.

Over 100 additional unused UPC labels were recovered from him.

The answer admits the averments save for the amount of the purchased items and number of unused bar codes. 

The docket entries can be accessed here. (Mike Frisch)