WOODSTOCK, Ga. (WAFB) — An assistant principal at a Cherokee County elementary school was arrested this month after allegedly shoplifting multiple times from a Woodstock Walmart.
According to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began Jan. 12 when officers responded to a shoplifting report at the Walmart on Bells Ferry Road. Store employees provided surveillance footage showing Courtney Janell Shaw, 47, allegedly stealing merchandise during multiple visits between Nov. 2 and Dec. 31, 2025.
Investigators said Shaw would scan only one item at checkout while bagging multiple items, then leave the store. Walmart reported a total loss of $943.97 across 98 items. On different days, Shaw reportedly left in either a gray 2018 Ford F-150 or a gray 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, both later confirmed to be registered to her.
Authorities said Walmart requested charges, and Shaw was arrested on Jan. 19, booked into the Cherokee County Jail, and released the same day on a $4,875 bond. She faces theft by shoplifting charges.
The Cherokee County School District confirmed that Shaw is employed at Free Home Elementary School. Officials stated the alleged incidents were unrelated to the school and that Shaw was immediately placed on administrative leave pending internal and law enforcement investigations.
Shaw joined Free Home Elementary in 2024 and has over 20 years of experience in education, beginning as a fifth-grade teacher in North Carolina. She also taught in Florida before settling in Georgia in 2006.
