Michigan Judge Sentences Walmart Shoplifters to Wash Parking Lot Cars
By Ed White
FILE - Shoppers head into and out of a Walmart store, Feb. 7, 2025, in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, FILE)
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters, ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring arrives.
Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart and rewards shoppers who could see higher prices, or possibly lose stores, if thefts continue. The car washes will be free.
“I don't think everybody that steals is a bad person. Sometimes people are just down on their luck,” said Clothier, who was recently elected to Genesee County District Court. “But there's going to be consequences when you break the law.”
Clothier told The Associated Press that he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for misdemeanor shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township, 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Detroit. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars at weekend events at that location in March and April.
The judge said Walmart is “on board” and will provide water and supplies. The company's Arkansas headquarters didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday.
Clothier said he was shocked to see the breadth of retail thefts when he joined the bench in January, adding that offenders were from all over Michigan and outside the state.
“It's just crazy,” he said, noting he had 48 such cases on his docket one day.
“I think it will be humiliating to be out there washing cars if you see someone you know,” Clothier said.
Walmart designated a parking space for police because of frequent calls about thefts, township Supervisor Scott Bennett said.
“It's an innovative approach,” county Prosecutor David Leyton said of the car washes. “Even if it deters one person, then there’s some success there.”
And shoplifters won't be the only people up to their elbows in suds.
“I will be there washing cars with them,” the judge said.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
