Police: Man hides in Ala. Walmart, takes cash

[December 04, 2009]  FAIRFIELD, Ala. (AP) -- Fairfield police said a Mississippi man took holiday shopping to another level by hiding in a Walmart and trying to leave with cash.

Police said the man hid inside the Walmart on Nov. 25 after it closed at 11 p.m. and took $54,000 in cash and checks. A guard subdued the man when he tried to leave through locked doors. Police said money bags started falling from his clothes as he shook the doors.

Officers found money strapped to the man's chest, in his backpack and in his pants. They confiscated a key used to enter the cash room but haven't said if he had an accomplice.

Chief Pat Mardis said the man could have escaped if he'd waited 20 more minutes for employees to unlock the doors, but he got nervous.

The 35-year-old was in the Jefferson County Jail Wednesday on robbery and burglary charges with a $60,000 bond.

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Information from: The Birmingham News

[Associated Press]

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