Walmart self-checkout mistake destroys Olympic athlete's career

Meaggan Pettipiece, former softball coach at Valparaiso University (Valparaiso Athletics)

Here's another reminder to avoid self-checkout scanners at Walmart and other stores. Meaggan Pettipiece, a former Olympic athlete, was arrested for failing to scan ham and asparagus at a Walmart self-checkout machine in Indiana on March 28, 2024. She paid $176 for the other groceries, but Walmart security called police.

When police arrived and searched her purse, they found three vape pens and two unopened packs of Zofran, a medication used to prevent nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. It's a controlled substance but does not produce euphoria or a high that recreational drug users typically seek. Nevertheless, Pettipiece was charged for stealing the unscanned items and for possession of cannabis and a controlled substance. "In the aftermath of the arrest, with a torrent of headlines sweeping across the state, Pettipiece resigned from her role as an NCAA Division 1 softball coach at Valparaiso University," reported The Independent.

It was later revealed that Pettipiece did scan the ham and asparagus, but Walmart's scanner failed to register the scans. Also, the vape pens contained no THC, and the anti-nausea pills didn't belong to her.