Man Allegedly Stole $600 of Cologne, Fled Walmart, Cops Say

A theft gone bad resulted in the jailing of two Hackettstown men Wednesday afternoon, according to Mansfield Township Police.

Police responded to the Walmart in Mansfield on Rt. 57 at 4:09 p.m. for a report of a man who ran from the store with a bag of items not paid for, yelling on a cell phone for someone to pick him up, police said. 

Upon arrival, police were directed to the rear of the Kohl’s department store by Walmart’s loss prevention personnel, saying the alleged thief jumped the fence into a development of homes, police said.

Hackettstown police assisted at the scene and found Randy Gwaltney, 42, of Hackettstown crouched down in a back yard, police said. Police took Gwaltney into custody without incident, and found a Walmart bag filled with approximately $600 of assorted cologne bottles, police said.

Inside the store, police found William Dawson, 41, of Hackettstown, who was allegedly helping Gwaltney, police said. During a consent search of Dawson’s vehicle, police found two folds of heroin and a hypodermic needle, police said.

Gwaltney was charged with third degree shoplifting and taken to Warren County jail in lieu of $10,000 bail, no 10-percent option. Dawson was charged with possession of a hypodermic needle, possession of paraphernalia, and possession of heroin. He was jailed in lieu of $7,500 bail with no 10-percent option.

For questions about this post, email jason.koestenblatt@patch.com.