Former Home Depot employee accused of theft

A woman who worked at The Home Depot is accused of stealing over $3,000 worth of merchandise.

A woman who worked as a cashier at The Home Depot is accused of stealing over $3,000 worth of merchandise from the store over the course of several months, according to court documents.

Documents show that the crime was reported in 2020, but the suspect wasn’t charged until Oct. 28 of this year.

A police report states that a customer told an employee at The Home Depot service desk that Michelle Delacruz, a cashier at the time, had acted flirtatious with him, had not charged him for a refrigerator and charged him the wrong price for a clothes dryer, totaling a loss of $1,972. The customer later returned to the store to fully pay for the items.

According to the report, Delacruz came to The Home Depot as a customer several times in early 2020 and failed to scan several items she left with, allegedly stealing over $200.

Another incident listed in the police report described Delacruz allegedly not scanning items and entering incorrect prices for other items to allow a customer to steal hundreds of dollars over the course of a few weeks. The customer was later interviewed by police. He stated that he mowed Delacruz’s lawn and she gave him discounts at the store, but he was not aware she was stealing.

The customer turned in all of the stolen merchandise from The Home Depot to the police as evidence. The items included a pressure washer, patio loveseat, lawn mower, electric welder, drill and hedge trimmer, according to the report.

Court documents state that Delacruz was fired from The Home Depot due to the fraudulent transactions.

Prosecutors charged Delacruz in Island County Superior Court on Oct. 28 with organized retail theft in the second degree.