Dallas officer loaded up on groceries at Wal-Mart, then walked out, police say

A Dallas police officer was arrested at a Denton County Wal-Mart early Wednesday after he left the store without paying for about $830 worth of groceries, authorities said.

Christopher Hankins, 30, faces a Class A misdemeanor theft charge, according to Dallas police.

The incident happened in Cross Roads, west of Denton, about 1:30 a.m., WFAA reported.

Northeast Police Department officers were called to the Wal-Mart, where Hankins had reportedly walked out with a shopping cart full of items.

Hankins, who was wearing a Dallas police jacket and had a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, told officers that he thought his car had been stolen and that he left the store in a panic, forgetting to pay for the groceries, according to a police report obtained by The Dallas Morning News.

His car, though, was still in the parking lot, and employees told police Hankins had "strolled" out of the store, the report said.

Hankins was arrested at the scene and booked into the Denton County Jail.

He joined the Dallas department in August 2014 and is currently assigned to the North Central Patrol Division, police said. He has been placed on administrative leave.

Ryan Osborne: 817-390-7684; Twitter: @RyanOsborneFWST

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Dallas officer loaded up on groceries at Wal-Mart, then walked out, police say."