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A store surveillance video shows a father shopping for a cell phone with his young baby. The dad has one of the store's cell phones in his right hand, and then suddenly he tucks it into the baby carrier, using his infant child as a shield.
"He did take advantage of his child, I think," Cellular Sales owner Gary Lawhon said.
Lawhon posted the video from last Sunday on YouTube and local crime blog Claycord.com as a way to expose the apparent shoplifter to the local community.
"He takes the phone, holds it in his right hand, as soon as our salesperson isn't looking, he stuffs it behind the baby," Lawhon said. "I mean who's going to check a baby carrier? 'Hey, excuse me, I think you have our phone in your baby carriage.'"
In another surveillance video from several weeks ago, a mother and her teenage son appear to be checking out the cell phones behind the counter. The young man then grabs one, along with the box that goes with it and shoves it down his pants. Lawhon also posted that video on the web.
"Within about two days, this father recognized his son on the video and he returned the phone," Lawhon said.
The thefts have gone on, even though it is rather obvious when you walk in the small store there is an awful lot of video surveillance.
Lawhon has no fewer than eight cameras aimed at his sales area and a large monitor with a warning sign beneath it.
The system has captured a variety of crimes, including people trying to use stolen credit cards.
"I don't have a problem broadcasting it to the world," Lawhon said. "If you steal, you could end up on YouTube, or Claycord, or even Channel 7."
RAW VIDEO: Surveillance video from inside the store
LINK: Claycord blog
LINK: Watch more surveillance video from Cellular Sales on YouTube
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