A Cameron man was arrested in connection with an attempted larceny of a computer at Wal-Mart, located at 1415 Sunset Ave. in Clinton.

The man, Michael Gray Salomon, 26, of 6831 Jefferson Davis Highway, Cameron, was arrested Wednesday night and charged with larceny from a merchant and resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer.

According to reports from the Clinton Police Department, Salomon, who had been previously banned from the Clinton Wal-Mart, was observed taking a computer out of its box and bubble wrap around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday by the store’s Loss Prevention team.

Salomon reportedly took the computer out of its package and then took it to the pharmacy area and placed it under a large bag of dog food. He took the cart to the front of the store, paid for the food and then left the store to get his car.

When the suspect pulled his car up to the front of the store, Clinton police officers were waiting for him. He reportedly took off, but officers were able to quickly apprehend him.

Salomon was arrested and taken to the Sampson County Detention Center where he was placed under a $15,000 secured bond by Magistrate A. Jackson. His first court appearance was Friday.

Earlier that same day, a $1,196 Sanyo LCD television was stolen from the store — an investigation is still ongoing for the suspects in that larceny.

In fact, over the past three weeks, Walmart in Clinton has been hit with a handful of larcenies ranging from stolen make-up to perfumes to MP3 players to televisions and other items.

In addition to Walmart, Parker Gas, the Clinton Pawn Shop, the Shrine Club, and Alltel Communications all reported incidents involving larcenies, break-ins or burglaries. Unfortunately, it is a trend that Clinton Police Chief Mike Brim said will continue throughout the holiday season.

“Typically there is always a spike in crime rates this time of year,” he said. “Whether it is the economy, hard times or whatever, as Christmas approaches, there is a jump in these type of crimes.”

Brim said although some stores have good crime prevention, it is up to an individual not to become a victim.

“Walmart’s security team does a real good job of getting the shoplifters,” he said. “But just like a story last week about the lady in the Dollar Store who got her purse lifted, there are criminals who are waiting for you to slip up.”

The best way to keep from becoming a victim is to prepare yourself before you go shopping, said Brim.

“You need to pay attention to your surroundings, shop in groups and just always be conscientious about what is going on around you,” he said. “You don’t want to draw attention to yourself, but you always want to keep your things visible. Believe me, people are out there waiting for you to make that one mistake so they can take your things.”

Another good tip Brim gives when shopping this season is to limit the amount of cash taken during shopping trips.

“Try to take as little cash as you can,” he said. “Take a debit card or a credit card (separate them) and do your shopping that way. If those cards get stolen for some reason, most banks have security measures in place that can stop that card from being used. Most people don’t think about the little things, but those little things are what the criminals are looking for. Those little things make a big difference.”

To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or send e-mail to sisports@myclintonnc.com.