Assistant principal in Cherokee County charged in Walmart shoplifting case, deputies say
An assistant principal at a Cherokee County elementary school was arrested this month on a shoplifting charge after investigators said she repeatedly stole merchandise from a Walmart in Woodstock over two months.
According to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, the case began Jan. 12, when an officer responded to a shoplifting report at the Walmart on Bells Ferry Road. An employee turned over surveillance footage and paperwork showing a woman identified as Courtney Shaw allegedly stealing items during multiple visits between Nov. 2 and Dec. 31, 2025.
The sheriff's office report states that Shaw would shop normally, then stack items at the checkout and scan only one item before placing both into bags or a shopping cart. Investigators said she then bypassed all points of sale and left the store. Walmart reported a total loss of $943.97 involving 98 items.
Store employees said Shaw left the store in either a gray pickup truck or a gray Jeep on different days. Surveillance cameras were unable to capture license plate numbers at the time.
Using investigative tools, deputies identified the suspect as Courtney Janell Shaw. A comparison of her driver's license photo with the surveillance images led both the investigating deputy and the Walmart employee to agree it was the same person, the report states. Shaw was identified as living at a Cherokee County address in Woodstock.
On Jan. 14, a patrol deputy later located both vehicles at the residence: a gray 2018 Ford F-150 and a gray 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Both vehicles were confirmed through law enforcement records to be registered to Shaw.
Investigators said Walmart requested to press charges and sought to have Shaw criminally trespass from the store. Warrants were taken, and evidence was uploaded into the case file.
Shaw, 47, of Woodstock, was booked into jail on Jan. 19 and released the same day on a $4,875 bond. She is charged with theft by shoplifting.
In a statement to parents, a Cherokee County School District spokesperson confirmed that Shaw is an employee at Free Home Elementary School. The district said the alleged incidents were unrelated to the school or district.
"Immediately upon these allegations being reported, the employee was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of internal and law enforcement investigations," the statement said. The district added that maintaining student and staff safety is its top priority and that inappropriate conduct will not be tolerated.
The school's website states that Shaw joined the Free Home family in 2024. She has over two decades in education, starting her career as a fifth-grade teacher in North Carolina. She taught across multiple grades in Florida before settling in Georgia in 2006.
