On September 6, 2025, at approximately 9:08 PM, city police units responded to a shoplifting incident at the Walmart located in Crossville. Upon arrival, officers contacted a store employee and reviewed surveillance footage, which captured a male subject, identified as Mathew Stephens, exiting a white Ford Focus on Walmart property.

A dispatch check revealed the vehicle was registered to a woman. The footage showed Stephens entering the store around 4:00 PM, selecting merchandise from the sales floor, and exiting without paying, totaling $245 in stolen value, including a sewing machine. During the investigation, Patrolman Beard located the Ford Focus on Pinewood Drive and spoke with the vehicle’s owner, who confirmed she had loaned the vehicle to Stephens earlier that day and provided his address on Pinewood Drive.

Officers then approached Stephens at the front entrance of the residence, took him into custody without incident, and questioned him about the merchandise’s location; he admitted it was out of the county and already sold, explaining the theft stemmed from losing government assistance and unemployment.

Stephens was transported to the Cumberland County Justice Center, where Patrolman Roberts served him a warrant for theft of merchandise, and the sewing machine was entered into NCIC as stolen.