Crime & Safety
Shoplifting Charges in Controversial Target Case
The retail giant had fired the security employee who reported the incident to police. Target sought charges after the story made national headlines.
Leesburg Police Department has charged the suspect in a Target shoplifting case that led to the firing of the security officer who notified police. The store agreed to seek an arrest after the incident made national headlines.
Robert H. Palmer Jr., 50, of Leesburg, faces two petit larceny warrants. He was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond. Palmer was a Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office employee and reportedly resigned following the incident.
Read: Target On Defensive For Firing Security Officer Who Reported Shoplifting
Dallas Northington, 29, worked as a security officer for a Target store in Leesburg for nearly eight years before he was abruptly fired after reporting the shoplifting incident to police May 27, according to a Washington Post report.
Target officials allegedly told Northington he violated procedure by failing to fill out proper paperwork before contacting the police, though Northington said he had followed the same procedure for years.
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Leesburg police issued a statement Monday saying the decision to fire Northington was “strictly a corporate decision made by Target with no discussion or knowledge by our agency.”
Police also noted that Target alerted the department Monday that the company wished to seek charges in the case.
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