JONESVILLE, Va — A Kentucky couple had a scheme to walk out of the Jonesville, Va., Wal-Mart with buggies full of expensive merchandise — and it worked, three separate times in an hour. After an investigation by local law enforcement, the couple was finally arrested.

Dustin T. Robinson, 24, of Coalgood, and Juanita Olyene Maggard, 25, of Grays Knob, pleaded guilty in Lee County Circuit Court on June 16 to larceny-related offenses.

But before the arrest, the couple thought they could just walk out of the megastore with pricey items like an LCD television or home computer. According to Lee County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shawn L. Hines, Maggard, on the first attempt accompanied by a 4-year-old child, approached the Wal-Mart door greeter and distracted him while Robinson tried to leave the store with over $500 in merchandise. The greeter stopped Robinson before he could exit the store and asked for proof of purchase. Robinson could provide none but told the greeter that his wife had the receipt inside the store. Robinson went back inside, pretending to search for his wife and the receipt.

Approximately 20 minutes later, Maggard and Robinson attempted the same ruse at a different exit. This time, Robinson served as the distraction while Maggard attempted to take over $735 worth of merchandise from the store. Again, the greeter stopped Maggard before she could exit the store. Maggard gave the greeter the same excuse as Robinson had given earlier.

Thirty minutes later, the couple made their third ploy to steal items from the store. This time, Robinson managed to get outside of the store with a home computer valued at nearly $700. However, the Wal-Mart greeter caught Robinson and made him return to the store with the computer. Maggard then approached the greeter and distracted him with a question while Robinson took the computer from the shopping cart and left the store for good.

Thanks to a store surveillance recording, the Lee County Sheriff’s Department saw the Kentucky license plates and ultimately tracked the couple down.

The circuit court sentencing date is scheduled for Aug. 18 for both defendants. They each face a possible statutory maximum sentence of 120 years for their offenses.