Pregnant woman says Walmart employee made her lift shirt to prove she didn't shoplift

Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A pregnant woman in New Mexico said she was humiliated when a Walmart employee demanded she lift her shirt after accusing her of shoplifting.

The incident took place on Halloween night. Patricia Pautke told KOB that she browsed the Halloween section before attempting to leave the store. That's when a store employee approached her and asked her if she was pregnant. When she confirmed that she was pregnant, he said, "You did not look pregnant five minutes ago," according to Pautke. The employee then told Pautke that he needed her to lift up her shirt to prove to him that she wasn't hiding anything.

Pautke complied, lifting up her shirt in front of other employees and customers. After proving that she had not stolen any items, the employee told her to have a good day, Pautke said.

Pautke told KOB that the incident was humiliating and embarrassing and that the employee could at least have taken her into a room to search her. She reported the incident to the Santa Fe Police Department.

Walmart provided KOB with a written statement addressing the incident, which said, “We're sorry for the experience Ms. Pautke had in our store. We take this seriously and are looking into it. We will take action as appropriate.”

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