No arrests made in pre-Fourth fireworks incident inside Walmart
Staff Photo: Tara Fletcher
By Carlton Fletcher
[email protected]
LEESBURG — Lee County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Lewis Harris said Tuesday no arrests had been made following a Monday incident in which juveniles set off fireworks inside the 2825 Ledo Road Walmart, forcing the retailer to shut down for an extended period.
Harris said that the busy holiday schedule is slowing the investigation.
“Walmart officials have made copies of the surveillance video in the store for us, but because of the (Independence Day) holiday, our investigators have not had an opportunity to look at the video yet,” Harris said. “But we will be looking at it as soon as possible.”
LCSO Sgt. Anthony Beach joined a pair of Lee Fire Rescue trucks at the Walmart shortly after 6 p.m. Monday when management at the retailer reported that juveniles had set off fireworks inside the store. There were no immediate reports of injuries, and Walmart officials said company policy is not to respond to media inquiries at any Walmart store.
Beach said after making an initial inspection of the store that Walmart officials were following a company protocol in assessing the damages and determining when to re-open.
“Reportedly, there were juveniles involved; they were still on the scene when the first first responders arrived,” Beach said shortly after looking over the scene inside the store. “We’re still working the scene, so that’s about all I can say right now.”
Walmart personnel stood at all entrance/exits telling walk-up customers the store was closed as county personnel inspected the scene. A man who said he was a manager in the store stood at one exit, turning customers away. He said Walmart policy would not allow him to speak about the incident. An Albany Herald reporter who entered the store was told that management had no comments and that photographs were not allowed in the store.
Smoke was still visible inside the Walmart, the reporter noted before being turned away.
Beach said after exiting the store that while the investigation by Fire Rescue personnel continued, the scene was being managed by Walmart employees.
“They have their own protocol that they’re following,” he said. “They said the store would remain closed another 30 minutes or so, but they’re operating under their protocol.”
Harris said there were no suspects as of Wednesday, but Beach noted that juveniles who were thought to be involved in the incident were still on the scene when first responders arrived.
Author
Related Articles
Albany Rescue Mission in recovery but still can use some help
“We can’t do this without the community. We are so grateful for the willing vessels. We just can’t thank them enough. We also appreciate the other ministries that have sown seeds into our ministry.”
Plenty of oil, not enough diesel — and southwest Georgia farmers are paying for it
Sedrick Rowe doesn’t spray herbicides on his 10 acres of organic peanuts. He fights weeds with his tractor instead, which means he runs it more often than most farmers — and burns at least 30 gallons of diesel on a typical day. This harvest season, every one of those gallons costs more than it has at any point on record.
Dougherty schools plan task force as SNAP changes raise concern over free meals
The Dougherty County School System plans to create a task force to help families retain food assistance and navigate new reporting requirements as district officials warn that declining SNAP participation could eventually affect the federal provision that allows every student to eat free at school.
