HOPE — Columbus police officers arrested a Hope man on a felony firearms charge after he was detained for shoplifting at a Columbus store.
Shortly before 3 p.m. on Friday, CPD officers were dispatched to Walmart, 735 Whitfield Drive, regarding a shoplifting suspect inside the store. When officers arrived, they made contact with store security who advised that the suspect, later identified as Randall D. Burton, 40, of Hope, was using a knife to cut open packages and had placed items, including a set of headphones, in his pants pocket.
When officers confronted Burton inside the store, he became uncooperative, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman. After a short struggle, the officers were able to detain Burton and secured a knife he had in his possession along with the stolen headphones. The officers also located a loaded handgun that Burton had in his possession, Harris said.
A records check conducted by officers revealed that Burton was not allowed to possess the weapon due to previous felony convictions, Harris said. Burton was placed under arrest and transported to the Bartholomew County Jail where he was remanded on the following preliminary charges:
- Possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon
- Resisting law enforcement
- Theft
