On Monday afternoon, Bainbridge Public Safety arrested two Cairo men for shoplifting and several other charges, including possession of methamphetamine and marijuana.
At approximately 1:15 p.m. Monday, Public Safety Officer Rusty Day responded to a report of shoplifting at the Bainbridge Walmart, according to a BPS incident report. One of the store’s loss prevention personnel, Jason Harrell, told Day that he had attempted to confront two men for shoplifting but that they had walked outside.
Day and Public Safety Officer Greg Brown detained the two men, identified as Steven Garcia, 29, of Cairo, Ga., and Armando Garcia, 35, also of Cairo.
BPS officers and Walmart security escorted the two men to the store’s security office, where they were searched. During that time, Harrell reportedly watched Armando Garcia place a pistol and a white substance believed to be meth onto a shelf.
Although Steven Garcia stated that he had walked to Walmart, the store’s video surveillance footage showed that both Steven and Armando Garcia had arrived at the store in a beige van driven by Steven Garcia.
After conferring with E-911, officers discovered Steven Garcia did not have a valid driver’s license and Armando Garcia — who had initially given an altered name and date of birth — had an active warrant out for his arrest.
BPS Sgt. Eddie Williams found a prescription pill bottle lying in the fire lane outside Walmart. The store’s video surveillance showed one of the two men had dropped the pill bottle before entering the store. Inside the pill bottle were several pills, as well as suspected meth and marijuana.
Both men were charged with shoplifting, misdemeanor obstruction of an officer, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possesion of meth with intent to distribute.
Steven Garcia was also charged with driving without a license, while Armando Garcia was charged with possesion of a firearm by a convicted felon or first offender probationer.