Man Sought for Multiple Thefts from Employer

Arrest warrants have been issued for a man accused of stealing more that 15-thousand dollars from his employer by letting people take products out of the store without paying. It's an investigation that has been going on since May. 50-year old Earl Williams of Union Grove was accused by his employers, the owners of the Run-In store on River Street, of sacking up items for a number of people and letting them walk out without paying for the items. It was enough that the store's inventory was starting to show a discrepancy, and that the owners were able to track it down to happening during the nights Johnson worked third shift. When confronted with a videotape that showed him doing it four times in the same night, Johnson confessed to what was on the tape, but nothing more. However, a review of the security tapes from 24 consecutive shifts, which was completed recently, showed the same thing happening on 18 nights, sometimes more than once a night. In the intervening time, Johnson has had his phone disconnected, and WIlkesboro Police have enlisted the help of the sheriff's department to server arrest warrants for the additional charges. Anyone who knows Earl Johnson's whereabouts is asked to call police at 667-72-77 or the Sheriff's office at 903-76-00.