Blind Man Adamant He Didn’t Steal From NH Walmart Self Checkout

A Conway, NH man is "perhaps the least likely person to even be capable of committing an act of willful concealment," according to his lawyer.

According to WMUR News 9, a blind man from North Conway is facing a trial next month, and it all started with a bag of oyster crackers. Andrew Airey was shopping with his seven year-old daughter last July, and was accused of stealing a bag of crackers. Airey was using the store's self checkout, and said kiosks didn't provide sufficient audio prompts and, during the July trip, "timed out" several times because the customer didn't scan items fast enough.

July 3rd wasn't the first time he had encounter issues at Walmart. During an earlier trip,  Airey said Walmart employees treated him in an aggressive manner, refusing to allow him to call his wife who was waiting outside and asking him: "If you're blind, why doesn't someone else do your shopping? Why doesn't your wife just do it?" This, according to Airey. After he threatened to sue Walmart over how he was treated by workers, he was charged with four additional counts of misdemeanor theft alleging that he stole a frozen pizza, a can of corned beef, a bath towel and a package of toothbrushes in separate visits to the store. Walmart said it acted in "good faith" in reporting what happened to law enforcement, according to the original report.

According to WMUR News 9, a judge refused to dismiss the charges last week,  but granted Airey's request seeking additional video footage from the store that might show employees checking Airey's receipts or assisting him during earlier visits. The trial is scheduled for July 26.