LAKELAND — Three Wal-Mart employees involved in the apprehension of a suspected shoplifter earlier this year have been charged with contributing to the man’s death while in their custody.
All three have been charged with manslaughter in the death of Kenneth E. Wisham, 64, of Lakeland. The charge is a second-degree felony.
The charges stem from an autopsy showing Wisham died of mechanical asphyxiation while being restrained, police said. The autopsy also revealed Wisham sustained 15 broken ribs during the altercation Feb. 7 outside of a Lakeland Wal-Mart on U.S. 98 North.
The suspects in the case are Lakeland residents Nathan Allen Higgins, 35, a support manager; and Crucelis Nunez, 23, a customer service manager. Also charged is Randall Eugene Tomko, 58, of Winter Haven, a loss prevention worker.
The three were arrested and jailed Thursday and on Friday bail was set at a first appearance hearing before County Judge Robert Fegers.
Higgins, whose bail was set at $2,500, was expected to be released from South County Jail in Frostproof late Friday according to his lawyer, James “Rusty” Franklin. He said his client played a minor part in apprehending Wisham, something the judge took into consideration.
“He (Higgins)was commanded by his supervisor to go intervene,” Franklin said. “All he did was grab the guy’s ankles. It’s a tragedy, no question about it.”
Nunez’ bail was set at $20,000. She is being held at the county jail in Bartow. Tomko’s bail was set at $30,000. As of Friday he was at the Frostproof jail.
Had they been COPs they would have been given a paid vacation.
Amen to that Dave they sure would have after they emptied every bullet that everyone there had in the guy!
Exactly. Had they been pigs, they would have never been charged, even if the incident had otherwise happened in precisely the same way.
Well the guy had 15 broken rubs before he died from the beating, so they certainly went off the deep end to recover one of Sam Walton’s cheap trinkets.
There’s nothing in Walmart that’s even worth a bloody nose, and if these idiots killed a guy for that trash, they should be locked up just for being that stupid.
When they get out of jail, they won’t even be able to get a lousy job at Walmart because they don’t hire ex-convicts.
Have fun pussies. Butter or margerine? Butt F’ers!
“Loss prevention workers”. These are the assholes who sit in front of cameras looking for shoplifters. Now they kill a guy for stealing some Chinese shit. Welcome to America.
If someone started burning every Walmart in the country I would applaud. Sam Walton can stick it way up there. Walmarts, the worst disease ever created, burn baby burn! Oh, did I mention I hate everything about Walmart.
If you want to see how sickening it is, just attend one of their morning Rah, Rah motivational bullshit management speeches. Talk about “brainwashing”!
So, just bring your 5 gallon gas can, walk in and start pouring gas down the aisles, pull the fire alarm, sit back and watch the pretty fire and black smoke from all the Chinese plastic crap. When the fire department shows up, just tell ’em you’re havin’ a weenie roast! Walmarts would burn good and it would leave an ash heap. Call that your neighborhood improvement strategy! Get the ashes hauled and, voila, one less eyesore in the community! Oh, by the way, did I mention I hate Walmart and every exploiting thing they do!