In the images from left to right: Alexae Johnson in a mugshot, and footage from surveillance cameras (Fruitport Township Police Department). Background: The Meijer supermarket where Johnson employed a chemical device to cause a diversion during a theft, located in Fruitport Township, Michigan (Google Maps).
A man from Michigan might face several decades in prison after utilizing a chemical-releasing device to divert the attention of staff at a grocery store, all while he committed shoplifting.
In August, Alexae Kamron Johnson, 39, admitted guilt to two charges of retail theft, along with one charge each for deploying an explosive with disruptive intent and for being a repeat offender.
On Thursday, Muskegon County 14th Circuit Court Judge Annette R. Smedley sentenced him to between five and 50 years in prison.
The incident took place in September 2024 at a Meijer situated on Harvey Street in the charter township of Fruitport, approximately 35 miles northwest of Grand Rapids.
On the specified day, a report of an “unknown, irritating gas” surfaced at the store, as per a report from the Fruitport Township Police Department acquired by CBS affiliate WWMT based in Kalamazoo.
First responders immediately noted the presence of a “chemical cloud” in the center of the store reeking of chlorine, police said.
Police also described the occurrence as a “small gaseous cloud,” according to Grand Rapids-based ABC affiliate WZZM.
Authorities later traced the origin of the gaseous cloud and offensive odor to a small plastic container located in the home goods aisle, which was releasing swimming pool-cleaning chemicals into the atmosphere, according to law enforcement officials.
After the ensuing chaos and removal of the chemical-spewing implement, four people had to be treated for presumed chemical exposure at a local hospital; they were soon after released.
And, amid the distraction, Johnson made off with a haul of some $1,000 to $2,000 in top-dollar merchandise, authorities said.
“He was in that area for a long period of time, in that direct area, without getting any further into it,” Fruitport Deputy Police Chief Greg Poulson told WZZM. “We watched him load his cart up full of a bunch of electronics, and he’s watching that area where, it was a bottle, like a pop bottle, 20-ounce pop bottle, and as soon as that dispersed, he was watching down that aisle, he immediately went for the exit of the store and left.”
The defendant was arrested in early November 2024, according to a press release issued by the police department at the time.
On Thursday, Johnson addressed the court, saying he was in the throes of a mental health crisis at the time and should have obtained professional help, according to a courtroom report by WZZM.
The judge, however, did not much credit that allocution – saying his actions harmed people and he deserved a stiff stint in prison.
On the day of the incident, the Muskegon County Hazardous Materials Response Team had to ensure the store was safe before business could resume, WZZM reported at the time.
