A 38-year-old man, Alexae Kamron Johnson, has been charged with first-degree retail fraud and placing an explosive device with intent to alarm, after an incident involving a noxious gas at a Fruitport Township Meijer store in September.
WOODTV
reported that the accused was already in Muskegon County Jail on unrelated charges at the time of his arraignment this Tuesday.
According to the authorities, arriving on the scene on Sept. 24, they encountered a small chemical cloud emanating strongly of chlorine within the store. Mistakenly believed to be a possible explosive, the cloud was actually the result of pool chemicals mixed inside a plastic bottle, found in the home goods section. The chemical concoction was likely a distraction for a theft, as four individuals had to be treated at a local hospital but were released, details from a
WWMT
report suggest.
The Michigan Department of Corrections lists Johnson as a parolee since February 2024, after serving time for drug charges and breaking and entering. The substance, which led to the evacuation of the store, was promptly removed, and the Muskegon County Hazardous Materials Response Team confirmed the area safe to resume operations, according to
WZZM13
.
Further details reveal that Johnson was caught on surveillance camera as he watched the area closely, believed in charging himself with an escape route when the chemical cloud was released. “He was in that area for a long period of time, in that direct area, without getting any further into it,” said Deputy Chief Greg Poulson, alluding to Johnson’s potential intent evident in a security footage analysis, as he told
WZZM13
. “We watched him load his cart up full of a bunch of electronics, and he’s watching that area where, it was a bottle, like a pop bottle, 20-ounce pop bottle, and as soon as that dispersed, he was watching down that aisle, he immediately went for the exit of the store and left.”
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