Overview

• Police bodycam video from March 7, 2024, shows a Seven Hills, Ohio, Meijer manager reporting roughly $110 in unpaid food over about three months involving 19-year-old deli worker James Denison.
• Denison told the officer the items were shift lunches he intended to repay, and he was arrested for minor theft, fingerprinted and released without bond with no prior offenses noted.
• The footage only recently circulated widely online, drawing heavy criticism of the store’s handling and calls on social media to boycott the chain.
• Meijer issued a public statement acknowledging the incident should have been handled differently and said a new procedure was implemented earlier this year, without detailing the changes.
• A fundraiser reported to have raised about $28,000 for Denison was later taken down, according to multiple outlets.