Surveillance Video Leads to Felony Charge against Veteran Georgia Home Depot Employee

A Home Depot employee who had spent nearly a quarter-century with the retailer is facing a felony theft charge after police say she used the store’s return system to create cash refunds for merchandise that customers never brought back.

Susan Barlow worked at the Home Depot on Gentilly Boulevard in Cartersville, Georgia, and most recently managed the customer service and returns department, according to a Cartersville Police Department report reviewed by WSB-TV Channel 2 Atlanta. The position gave her responsibility for processing returns and overseeing money handled at the service desk.

The investigation began when the store manager called police about suspected employee theft involving multiple transactions. By the time officers arrived, Home Depot’s asset protection staff had already examined the store’s records and gathered surveillance video tied to the questioned refunds.

Investigators allege Barlow entered item numbers into the company’s sales system and recorded the products as returned. The computer then generated a refund amount, which she allegedly collected in cash. Police said there was one major problem with those transactions: No merchandise had actually been returned.

The alleged activity occurred between April and the middle of June, resulting in a total loss of $1,737, according to the police report. Rather than a single large withdrawal, investigators described a pattern of separate refunds that appeared legitimate in the system until store security compared them with the available merchandise and video.

Home Depot’s security team reportedly showed officers footage that appeared to capture Barlow entering the product information, processing refund amounts and taking the money. The company also provided investigators with a written statement in which she allegedly acknowledged the conduct.

At the time police were called, Barlow was in another room speaking with Home Depot’s internal investigators. Officers later read her Miranda rights, and the report says she agreed to answer questions without an attorney present. Police said she then admitted to taking the money and manipulating the store’s sales and return system.

Barlow was arrested at the store and transported to the Bartow County Jail. She was booked on one count of theft by taking, classified as a felony in the report.

The amount cited by investigators falls just above an important line in Georgia’s theft law. State code provides a felony-level punishment when the value of the property involved is at least $1,500.01 but less than $5,000, although a judge may have discretion to impose a misdemeanor sentence after a conviction.

The allegations have attracted attention partly because of Barlow’s long tenure. Police described her as a Home Depot employee with nearly 25 years of service. Her latest management assignment also placed her in charge of the same return process that investigators say was used to remove money from the business.

Refund systems are designed to quickly restore funds to legitimate customers, but they also create opportunities for fraud when transactions are processed without corresponding merchandise. In this case, police allege the records, surveillance footage, and statements provided by the company all pointed to an internal scheme carried out over several weeks.

Initial reports did not say whether Barlow had entered a plea, hired an attorney, or been released from jail. Home Depot also had not publicly detailed her employment status beyond the internal investigation described in the police report.