Joliet police searching for ex-Walmart employee accused of stealing almost $136,000 from store

Police are searching for a former Joliet Walmart employee who is accused of stealing of almost $136,000 from the store on West Jefferson Street.

On Nov. 29, Judge Ken Zelazo signed a warrant for the arrest of Melissa Vanderwall, 47, of Mazon, after she was charged with felony theft and burglary of Walmart, 2424 W. Jefferson St., Joliet.

As of Thursday morning, Vanderwall has not yet been apprehended on those charges.

Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said detectives continue to investigate the case and search for Vanderwall, who has not been reported missing to their department.

Vanderwall is accused of stealing almost $136,000 from Walmart, according to English.

English declined to provide further details about the case.

Vanderwall no longer works for Walmart, according to a spokesperson for the company.

The charges against Vanderwall alleged she stole between $100,000 but not more than $500,000 in cash from Walmart, 2424 W. Jefferson St., Joliet. She was charged with burglary for remaining inside the store with the intent to commit theft.

On Tuesday, Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Dant Foulk filed a complaint seeking forfeiture of Vanderwall’s Jeep Cherokee that he alleged was used by Vanderwall to commit burglary.

A judge is scheduled to rule on that complaint on Feb. 8.

A Joliet police officer investigating the case was notified that a Walmart employee had found the Jeep at Vanderwall’s residence, Foulk’s forfeiture complaint said.

Vanderwall’s daughter had contacted a Walmart employee because she called the store looking for her mother and she had not been able to get in contact with her, Foulk’s complaint said.

Vanderwall’s daughter had gone to her mother’s residence and found a note left on the door that said, “I’m gone. The house is under foreclosure,” Foulk’s complaint said.

The investigation that led to the charges against Vanderwall began when officers responded on Nov. 29 to Walmart regarding a theft, according to Foulk’s complaint.

Officers spoke with a loss prevention employee who said that during the overnight hour, Vanderwell, a Walmart employee, had “stole money out of two different ‘cash recyclers,’” Foulk’s complaint said.

A market asset manager for Walmart said cash recyclers are similar to ATMs, which the store uses to restock cash registers, Foulk’s complaint said.

Surveillance footage obtained in the investigation showed Vanderwall was seen between 3:33 p.m. to 3:38 p.m. on Nov. 27, emptying both cash recyclers and placing the cash into a Walmart reusable shopping bag, according to Foulk’s complaint.

Vanderwall then left the store with the cash in what appeared to officers was a blue Jeep Cherokee, Foulk’s complaint said.

An asset-protection coach for Walmart conducted an audit on the cash recyclers, which revealed that the left and right cash recyclers had been missing a total of $52,502, and there was $83,486 that was also missing, Foulk’s complaint said.

An officer was advised that Vanderwall had emptied cassettes from a machine containing $20 and $100 bills, along with cassettes containing overflow cash, Foulk’s complaint said.

“In total, [Vanderwall] had taken a total of [four] cassettes worth of cash, totaling $135,988.00,” Foulk’s complaint said.