Help Catch a Robber and Then Get Fired for It? That's What Happened to an 18-Year Employee of Lowe's

When Karen Sizemore, an 18-year employee at Lowe's in Elizabethtown, Ky., saw a man try to steal a $600 tool kit from the store, she decided she'd had enough: she chased him as he exited the store.

Karen Sizemore gets emotional while explaining she was fired from Lowe's for trying to stop a shoplifter. (Source: WLKY-TV screen shot)

She didn't catch him before he drove out of the parking lot, but did get his license plate number. That's how police caught and arrested the man later identified as Kyle Heim.

Her colleagues called her “Rambo” and “Wonder Woman,” she said.

Her bosses fired her.

"Eighteen years with that company," Sizemore told WLKY-TV, pausing as she held back tears," for chasing a shoplifter. This is the thanks I get I guess, huh?"

She's now considering hiring a lawyer to get her job back:

"Their explanation was I put myself and other people in danger," she added.

Lowe's released a statement about the incident.

"Our policies are in place for the safety of our workers,” the company said. “We have very specific guidelines when it comes to handling potential shoplifters, to ensure the well-being of not only our team but our customers.”

[sharequote align="center"]"Eighteen years with that company...[and] this is the thanks I get?"[/sharequote]

Sizemore said, “It was just the adrenaline rush.”

“I'm not taking it any more,” Sizemore said. “You just get to the point where you're so tired of people stealing from you.”

(H/T: WLWT, UPI)

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