Meijer 'skip scanning' case; Grafton man pleads guilty, sentenced

GRAFTON, Wis. - The Grafton man accused of "skip scanning" and leaving a Meijer grocery store with hundreds of dollars in merchandise pleaded guilty and was sentenced Tuesday, June 13.

Kevin Deering, 41, was sentenced to 12 days in jail and ordered to pay restitution. He was initially charged with felony retail theft, but pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of the same crime. 

When first charged, Deering was executive director of educational services for the Mequon-Thiensville School District – a position he later resigned.

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Grafton police said the skip scanning happened at least 12 times, and the stolen items totaled more than $800.

According to a criminal complaint, Grafton police were dispatched to the Meijer on Port Washington Road to investigate a retail theft incident. The store's loss prevention employee indicated he learned of a series of retail thefts committed by the same customer, Deering. The employee "reported that Deering's actions involved 'skip scanning,' whereby Deering would have multiples of the same item but only scan and pay for one of the items."

Grafton Meijer

The employee added, per the complaint, that Deering would also "weigh produce items and then add additional items after the initial lesser weight was recorded." In some instances, the employee said Deering would leave things like small appliances in his cart and "avoid scanning them altogether, but still leave with the items and without paying for them."

When police spoke with Deering, the complaint states, he said he "did not realize he was doing this and that he would pay for the items. He later stated that he understood if it was on video and that he wanted to cooperate." An officer pointed out that Deering was seen on video doing the same thing multiple times, "which shows that this was not just a mistake of missing one or two items, but indicates Deering was blatantly avoiding scanning items to avoid paying for them."