Would-be shoplifter at Maine Walmart hides terrible secret. She attempted to steal to save her life

A Lewiston, Maine, man is in custody after his ex-girlfriend told a Walmart employee he had kidnapped her. She then said he forced her to steal from the store. Police arrived, found the woman’s ex near the Walmart location, and arrested him.

According to Auburn police, a store employee approached an officer on duty at a Walmart Supercenter in Auburn — 35 miles north of Portland — around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. They reported that a woman inside the store claimed she was being threatened.

The woman, 30, told police that her ex-boyfriend, Harrison Coleman, 50, had physically assaulted her, forced her into his vehicle, and driven her to the Walmart Supercenter on Mt. Auburn Avenue. He then allegedly demanded she steal items for him or he would kill her.

Officers located Coleman waiting in a vehicle in the store parking lot and placed him under arrest. He is held without bail at the Androscoggin County Jail pending his initial court appearance. Investigators say witnesses corroborated the woman’s account. The victim’s name has not been released. Police have also not disclosed what items Harrison attempted to force his ex-girlfriend to steal.

Walmart and crime

The Harrison case is not the first of its kind involving kidnapping and Walmart in the state of Maine. In January 2024, police charged Katelynn McLaughlin and Emmanual Hurtado with kidnapping a woman at the parking lot of a Walmart in Brunswick, Maine. They forced her into her vehicle at gunpoint, drove for a short distance, and robbed her, according to Bangor Daily News.

Meanwhile, in October 2024, in Washington, D.C., a court sentenced an employee of a day-program company for coercing vulnerable adults into stealing from a Walmart in the district.

Walmart security measures

The outcome of the Harrison case might have been different if a police officer had not been on duty. Large retail chains, like Walmart, routinely station officers or other dedicated security personnel at high-risk locations. These staff serve as visible deterrents and enable a rapid response to reported threats or coercion. Walmart confirms that some stores use off-duty police officers specifically to bolster safety in areas with elevated incidents of theft or violence

“The quick actions of Walmart employees and the close proximity of the initial responding officer ensured this victim’s safety and led to the swift arrest of the suspect,” Auburn Deputy Chief Tim Cougle said of the Harrison case. Auburn police continue to investigate the situation, according to Portland news outlet WGME.