Police: Ex-clerk Discounted Hardware To Woo Man

W.Va. Police Say Lowe's Clerk Thought Way To Man's Heart Was Through Discounted Merchandise

(AP)  NITRO, W.Va. (AP) - A former home improvement store clerk in West Virginia has been charged with discounting $20,000 worth of merchandise to win a man's heart.

Nitro police arrested 20-year-old Katie Lynn Smith Thursday on a fraudulent schemes charge. She had worked at Lowe's.

A criminal complaint in county court says a security video shows Smith selling the man a pressure washer worth several hundred dollars for $3.66. That's the price of an 80-pound bag of concrete.

The complaint says Smith admitted incorrectly ringing up nearly $20,000 worth of merchandise in four months for "a male she desired as a boyfriend."

Smith's phone number isn't listed and police spokesman Ray Blake says she doesn't have an attorney yet.

Police couldn't say whether the scheme helped her romantic prospects.