Fugitive accused of stealing from Walmart

MILTON, Ga. — A wanted man is accused of hiding in plain sight while he burglarized a Walmart store in Milton.

Thornton Simmons, 43, was arrested on seven criminal charges, and police said the arrest led them to a bigger string of crimes.

It all started when employees at a Walmart on Winward Parkway saw Simmons pushing two 60-inch TVs out of the store, police said.

"The scheme he had was to dress similar to Walmart employees, load the items up and push them out and hope that nobody questioned him because he appeared to be an employee," Milton police Capt. Shawn McCarty told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik.

Alpharetta police later pulled Simmons over on Georgia Highway 400 and found a stolen truck, TVs and more.

"There was an open container in the car when the officer talked to him.  He was also visibly intoxicated," McCarty said.

Police said they also learned Gwinnett County authorities were looking for Simmons on escape charges.

The owner of the truck found said he's thankful he got his truck back and hopeful Simmons will pay for the crime.

"If he's using it on a crime spree, I'm sure he should spend some time in jail," Willie Gordon told Petchenik.

Police initially brought Simmons to the Alpharetta City Jail, but have since taken him to the Fulton County Jail where he remains in lieu of a $24,000 bond.

WSBTV