Syringes found in clothes at Ga. Walmart

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CARTERSVILLE, Ga., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Syringes have been found in clothing on the shelves of a Walmart store in northern Georgia four times in recent days, authorities say.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Wednesday Bartow County sheriff's deputies had yet to find whoever is responsible for placing hypodermic needles in clothing at the Cartersville Walmart four times recently, the most recent incident occurring Tuesday. Investigators were reviewing store video footage for possible suspects.

Patricia Headrick told the newspaper she was checking a bra at the store Friday when she was poked by a syringe, to her panic initially.

"Whose arm was this in? Whose body?" Headrick said she asked herself. "Am I going to die?"

Another customer also was pricked in one of the other cases, Sgt. Jonathan Rogers of the Bartow County Sheriff's Office said.

It wasn't clear whether the needles had been used or if they ever contained anything, but the two customers who were pricked received medical attention, he said. The needles were being tested, he added.

"I'm just [in a] waiting game," Headrick said. "I'm scared to death. I don't know what's going to happen."

A Walmart spokeswoman at company headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., told the Journal-Constitution Wednesday evening "any customers harmed as a result of this [will be reimbursed] for any valid medical expenses."

"We are committed to getting to the bottom of this, to determine exactly what happened and how," Walmart spokeswoman Dianna Gee said.

No additional syringes were found, she said.

"At this point, we believe this an isolated incident involving just this store," said Gee.