Inset: Harrison Coleman (Androscoggin County Jail). Background: The Walmart where Harrison allegedly forced his ex-girlfriend to steal for him (Google Maps).
A 50-year-old man in Maine is accused of abducting his ex-girlfriend, bringing her to a local Walmart, where he allegedly threatened to kill her if she did not steal multiple items from the store for him. Harrison Coleman was taken into custody this week and charged with one count each of kidnapping, domestic violence assault, and domestic violence criminal threatening, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Auburn Police Department, an officer working security detail at the Walmart Super Store was approached by a store employee at about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29, regarding a 30-year-old female shopper in duress.
The shopper "was inside the store claiming she had been threatened," the store employee told the officer, per the release. The officer quickly located the female shopper who "reported that she had been forced into a vehicle and brought to the store against her will."
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She told the officer that the person who forced her into the vehicle was Coleman, identifying him as an ex-boyfriend. The victim claimed Coleman "threatened her if she did not steal from the store for him."
Several additional officers responded to the store, where they located Coleman waiting in a vehicle parked just outside the Walmart, which is 30 miles north of Portland, Maine.
"The preliminary investigation indicates that Coleman had physically assaulted the victim, forced her into his vehicle, and driven her to Walmart," the release states. "Once at the store, Coleman allegedly instructed the victim to steal specific items and threatened to kill her if she did not comply. The victim approached Walmart employees inside the store, who quickly contacted the on-duty officer stationed in the parking lot."
Investigators said several witnesses in the store corroborated the victim's claims.
"The quick actions of Walmart employees and the close proximity of the initial responding officer ensured this victim's safety and led to the swift arrest of the suspect," Auburn Deputy Chief of Police Tim Cougle said in a statement following the arrest.
Coleman was placed under arrest and processed at the Androscoggin County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond. It was not immediately clear when Coleman was scheduled to make his initial appearance in court.