An assistant principal at a Georgia elementary school was arrested last Monday after being linked to a series of Walmart shoplifting incidents when roughly $1,000 worth of merchandise was taken using a discreet “stacking” method at self-checkout kiosks, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
Courtney Janell Shaw, 47, was reportedly caught on camera placing multiple items on top of one another and scanning only one before placing them in her bags or shopping car. Officials added that Courtney would then “bypass all points of sale” and leave the store.
She was booked into the Cherokee County jail, charged with one felony count of shoplifting, and released later that day on a $4,875 bond, officials said.
Authorities said Shaw stole 98 items, totaling $943.97, between November and December of last year.
Courtney Shaw was arrested on Jan. 19, 2026, in connection to multiple shoplifting incidents at Walmart in Georgia. (Fox 5; Google Maps)
Free Home Elementary School in Cherokee County said the two-decade veteran educator and mother of one was placed on administrative leave.
“It has come to our attention that an employee at Free Home ES has been arrested for alleged incidents unrelated to our school or district,” the district told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Immediately upon these allegations being reported, the employee was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of internal and law enforcement investigations.”
“Maintaining the safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority and inappropriate conduct will never be tolerated,” the school added.
Courtney Shaw was arrested last Monday after allegedly stealing nearly $1,000 worth of merchandise at Walmart in Georgia. (Courtney Shaw / Facebook)
Her alleged shoplifting spree was first reported on Jan. 12 when a Walmart employee provided police surveillance footage of Shaw appearing to steal the products, according to the incident report.
Two days later, investigators matched Shaw to the thefts using a driver’s license database.
Courtney Shaw, the assistant principal at Free Home Elementary School in Georgia, has been placed on administrative leave. (Courtney Shaw / Facebook)
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Authorities said the two suspicious vehicles they noted in the surveillance footage, a 2018 gray Ford F-150 and a 2020 gray Jeep Grand Cherokee, were later confirmed to be registered to Shaw and located at her residence.
According to the school’s website, Shaw joined Free Home Elementary in 2024 as the assistant principal. Her education career spans more than two decades and includes previous leadership roles as an assistant principal at two other elementary schools.
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