LR man arrested on warrant for alleged shoplifting

A Little Rock man was arrested late Friday on felony and misdemeanor warrants stemming from allegations that he shoplifted at a Walmart in Hot Springs last year, stealing more than $1,200 worth of merchandise.

Louis Wade Whitmore Jr., 57, was arrested around 11:30 p.m. in the 4600 block of Malvern Avenue for alleged trespassing and was served with a warrant for theft of property over $1,000, punishable by up to six years in prison, and a warrant for theft of property under $1,000, punishable by up to one year in prison.

Whitmore remained in custody on a no-bail bond Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in Garland County District Court on June 18.

According to court records, Whitmore was sentenced to five years probation in Pulaski County in 1993 for robbery and to three years probation in 2013 for receiving stolen property. On December 21, 2020, he was sentenced to three years in prison in Faulkner County for aggravated theft of property but was later released on probation.

According to the probable cause affidavit associated with the misdemeanor charge, Hot Springs police responded to a call at Walmart, 1601 Albert Pike Road, about a theft on August 30, 2023, shortly after 5:30 p.m.

Officers made contact with an employee who said he saw a black male leave the business through the emergency exit doors and push a shopping cart containing $564.38 worth of merchandise without paying for it. The employee made contact with the man in the parking lot, who abandoned the shopping cart and fled towards Airport Road, where he got into a white Chrysler 300.

On Aug. 31, the employee told police he was able to identify the suspect as Whitmore after matching his description to five previous thefts “at various Walmart locations around the state.”

According to the charging affidavit, shortly after 9 a.m. on September 28, 2023, police responded to the Walmart on Albert Pike again for a theft and spoke with an asset protection employee who said he saw Whitmore enter the store. selected a shopping cart and placed several items in it totaling $1,255.

Whitmore allegedly left the store without paying for the items in the cart, and investigators were able to confirm his identity by comparing information provided by the store with his booking photos. A misdemeanor arrest warrant was issued on September 20, 2023, and the felony arrest warrant was issued on November 16, 2023.