Two Boone County men pled guilty to charges filed against them stemming from a shoplifting incident at the Mountain Home Walmart that ended with police finding drugs.
Landry Atnip and Eric Mendenhall, both in their early 30s, were put on probation for six years during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the incident happened in early January when a Mountain Home Police officer responded to the store. The police had been called after Walmart asset protection staff observed Mendenhall attempt to get out of the business with a full cart of unpaid-for-items.
Photo: Eric Mendenhall
The officer was told Mendenhall had been accompanied by another male, later identified as Atnip, who was in Mendenhall’s pickup truck in the parking lot near the store’s general merchandise entrance. He told police Mendenhall had given him the keys to the truck when he was initially approached by Walmart asset protection staff.
Photo: Landry Atnip
He said he had not driven the pickup truck very far because he was not familiar with operating
a standard transmission vehicle.
At the time of the incident, Mendenhall was on probation with a search warrant on file. When the pickup truck was searched, police found methamphetamine and Diazepam tablets.
According to the police report, Mendenhall had been banned from all Walmart stores in 2017. It was also reported he had eight previous cases of theft from Walmart locations.
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