Man Drives Hot Cart To Meet Probation Officer

AUGUST 20--Meet Michael Johnson.

The 18-year-old New Mexico man was arrested Monday after allegedly driving a stolen Walmart electric shopping cart to a meeting with his probation officer.

Johnson drove the hot cart to the Metropolitan Courthouse in Albuquerque, where the teen resides.  Johnson, whose rap sheet includes several arrests, is on probation for a conviction earlier this year.

According to a criminal complaint, when Megan Cutler, Johnson’s probation officer, asked him where he got the shopping cart, he admitted to taking it from a Walmart about five miles from the courthouse. Johnson added that he “did not have permission to take the cart.”

An Albuquerque Police Department officer subsequently contacted a Walmart official who said that the electric cart is worth $1845 and that the retailer wanted to press charges.

Johnson was then arrested for larceny and receiving stolen property and booked into the Bernalillo County jail, where he remains locked up.

The teenager is facing an additional charge for violating terms of his probation. He was arrested last year for battery against a household member and interference with communications. In May, he pleaded guilty to the latter count, which usually relates to somehow preventing a victim from contacting police.

Johnson lives about 11 miles from the courthouse. The complaint does not reveal when he took the Walmart cart or how far he drove it to the courthouse. (1 page)