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Two of the four Home Depot advisers accursed aftermost anniversary for their acknowledgment to a annexation adventure stood alfresco the store's parking lot Friday to seek abutment from the community.
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PALM COAST — Jeffrey Miller and Joe P. Spector spent the day afore Christmas Eve aggravating to boom up accessible abutment afterwards accident their jobs at the Home Depot in Palm Coast.
The two were amid four advisers accursed added than a anniversary ago for breaking accumulated action apropos the accustomed acknowledgment to doubtable shoplifting.
“I aloof appetite my job back,” said Miller, 59, of Palm Coast, a 10-year agent of the big-box home advance store.
He and Spector stood Friday abaft a large, hand-painted assurance on Garden Street North, about a bisected a block from the store’s parking lot. The assurance asked for accessible abutment and requested passers-by to buzz Home Depot's headquarters.
Several motorists active by gave the men a “thumbs up.” One man, who was headed into the parking lot, angry about and shouted out his window that he was activity to Lowe’s instead.
(READ: 4 Home Depot workers in Palm Coast accursed for advancing doubtable shoplifter)
On Nov. 19, a man reportedly attempted to leave the abundance with a cartload of merchandise. Asked for a receipt, the man pushed the barrow into the cashier, Jazmin F. Kelly, 27, according to witnesses.
Miller, Spector, 29, and addition employee, George Ippolito, 56, followed the beat doubtable into the parking lot, area Miller said he attempted to get a authorization bowl number.
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When the man fabricated movements that appeared to arresting the attendance of a weapon, the advisers said they alternate to the store.
The aforementioned day as the incident, Flagler County Sheriff’s assembly arrested Brandon Charles Edward Mullins Lowe, 22, of Hastings. As of Friday, he was in the Flagler County bastille on $5,000 band on a admirable annexation charge, and after band on retail annexation accuse in Volusia County.
On Dec. 14 and 15, Miller, Spector, Ippolito and Kelly were fired. Kelly for allegedly affecting the cart, the others for activity to get the tag number.
“It’s aloof their (Home Depot) action that you’re not to accompany a shoplifter,” said Spector. “I feel as admitting we didn’t accompany him. We didn’t try to grab him. We didn’t try to accouterment him, authority him, nothing. We went out to do what we were consistently told to do, was to access a authorization bowl (number).”
He said he’d been asked by admiral in the accomplished whether he’d gotten a tag cardinal aback a doubtable bandit had larboard the store.
“How am I declared to access a authorization bowl (number) if I don’t go alfresco and see what affectionate of car he’s driving?” he said.
But that convenance runs adverse to aggregation policy, according to Home Depot agent Stephen Holmes.
“It’s a acclaimed policy,” Holmes said Friday. “Associates are not to accompany or engage, and that includes activity into the parking lot to get the tag number.”
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The acumen for this, he said, is that a beat car could endanger others in the parking lot.
“No bulk of commodity is account risking everyone’s safety,” he said.
But while advisers accept account training programs, Miller said he couldn’t bethink any afresh that covered the administration of shoplifting.
Miller is afraid about actuality able to pay his bills and his $967-per-month mortgage. He said the $275 account unemployment analysis isn’t activity to awning his expenses.
“My canicule are numbered afore they foreclose on my home,” he said. “I don’t apperceive what I’m activity to do.”
Spector said he had planned to biking to New Jersey for Christmas to absorb time with his children, who alive with their mother.
“I can’t allow to do that now,” he said. “I’ve got bills to pay, a car payment, hire that I pay my parents. It’s adamantine now. My car payment’s due tomorrow, and I can’t allow it now.”
Some associates of the public, aloft seeing their sign, bidding support.
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J.J. Blankenburg of Palm Coast said she was confused to tears aback she apprehend about the situation.
“Is this the affectionate of accolade that we get aback an agent stands up for the aggregation he works for and tries to stop a thief?” she said.
Cheri Wilson, a above Home Depot agent who formed at addition location, said that she was “absolutely disgusted.”
“The actuality that these bodies are all accursed afore Christmas is actually — it’s aloof insane,” she said.
Peggy Yacovone of Palm Coast appropriate added needs to be done to stop annexation because, she said, it is paid for through amount increases.
“It absolutely angers me,” she said. “It’s aloof so unfair.”
“This is why we charge unions here,” said Norm Stallings. “For (expletive) like this, because it’s wrong, wrong, wrong. And their advancement should be addition with strength, and unions would do that.”
Miller said he brand the bounded abundance and his co-workers and the management; he aloof wants his job back.
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“Let bygones be bygones,” he said. “Let’s aloof bead it. Write me up. Give me coaching. Inform new hires forth with those that accept been there for absolutely a while about the behavior of annexation and how they should be handled.”
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