Three more syringes have turned up in clothing purchased at a Cartersville Walmart, the Bartow County Sheriff's Office announced Monday afternoon.
One customer discovered a needle in a pair of pants she bought on Black Friday but hadn't worn until this weekend. While sheriff's deputies were at the Walmart preparing their report, another shopper surfaced saying she had found a syringe in a pair of men's lounge pants. One of the store managers assisting investigators discovered yet another needle in a separate pair of pants, Bartow Sheriff Clark Millsap said.
At least eight needles have turned up since last week, all at the Cartersville Walmart.
Last Tuesday, a shopper was pricked with a needle after reaching inside a pocket of a pair of pants. Syringes were later discovered inside a boxed bra, pajamas and socks.
Investigators say they have neither a suspect or motive but believe the incidents are contained to the Bartow Walmart. At least two customers have been pricked and store officials said it will pay for the medical expenses of those injured by the needles, who could be at risk of contracting hepatitis or possibly HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The syringes all appear to be the same type, commonly used by those with diabetes, and could have been purchased from any pharmacy without a prescription, sheriff's deputies said.
A Walmart spokeswoman told the AJC last week that employees had inspected apparel at the Cartersville store but did not find anything out of the ordinary. Extra staffers were placed in the clothing department, but it's unclear whether the needles were hidden on the same day or spread out among several store visits. Sheriff's investigators, working in tandem with Walmart, continue to review the store's surveillance footage.
Meanwhile, the syringes have been sent to the GBI crime lab for forensic testing.
Anyone with any information about these incidents is asked to call the Bartow Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 770-382-5050, ext. 6029.
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