Two Benton residents were arrested on Sunday, after police say they used a barcode-switching scheme to steal merchandise from Walmart. Both now face felony charges due to prior convictions.

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Officers responded around 1:49 p.m. on April 12, 2026, to Walmart at 17309 Interstate 30 South for a shoplifting in progress. Loss prevention employees had already detained a man and woman in the store’s asset protection office.

According to the report, store security observed Megan L. Rauls, 39, and Johnathan Lawrence, 42, selecting multiple grocery items and proceeding to the self-checkout.

Police say Rauls scanned the items, but instead of using the correct barcodes, she fraudulently scanned a cheaper item barcode, then handed the merchandise to Lawrence, who bagged it. During the transaction, Lawrence allegedly gave Rauls a small item (chapstick) to repeatedly scan in place of the actual goods.

After completing the purchase, the pair exited the store with unpaid merchandise before being stopped by a Walmart employee.

Officers arrested both individuals on charges of computer fraud and theft of property, and both reportedly admitted to the scheme after being read their rights.

The report notes no serious injuries during the arrest, though one suspect had a minor sore on his arm that was checked by officers at the scene. In the report, the officer stated, “Multiple times while we were in the asset protection office, Lawrence was observed rubbing his arms and wrist to scratch an itch, even at one point, standing up and attempting to use a door stopper on the wall to scratch it.”

They were transported to the Saline County Jail and booked on charges of Computer Fraud. Although the total value of the merchandise was listed at $188.76, the charges were elevated to felonies because both suspects had prior theft convictions within the past 10 years, according to the report.

The case is documented under Benton Police Department incident report #2026-03454.