Authorities investigate assault of Big Lots employee

Authorities investigate assault of Big Lots employee

Lawrenceburg Now

Law enforcement officials recently initiated an investigation after an employee of a Lawrenceburg retailer reported being assaulted by a dissatisfied customer.

Reports filed through the Lawrenceburg Police Departments show that officers responded to Big Lots on North Locust Avenue where they spoke with the victim. She reported that she had been assaulted by a man who wanted to return a damaged mattress he had purchased earlier that morning.

Reports indicate that the man had purchased the mattress at around 8:00 a.m., returning a couple of hours later indicating that it had been damaged when it fell from his truck while he was driving.

The victim said the man became angry when she declined to exchange the mattress. She said she asked him whether employees had offered him twine at the time of the purchase, to secure the mattress in his truck. She said he confirmed that he had, indeed, been offered the twine.

The employee told officers that the man became angry when she said she would not make the exchange. She said that he then struck her on the upper arm, said “Merry Christmas,” then walked out of the store.

The reporting officer noted that the employee did have a red mark in the area where she indicated she had been struck. Employees were able to provide the officer with the man’s name. He noted in his report that when he showed her a driver’s license photo of the man, the victim was able to make a positive identification.

At the time reports were filed no charges had yet been filed. Managers told officers they would review security footage to determine whether the assault had been captured on video.