East Stroudsburg, Monroe County, PA — Christopher J. Upshur, 29, of Stroudsburg, was arrested Tuesday evening by the Stroud Area Regional Police Department on an outstanding warrant stemming from an August 2025 incident at the Walmart Supercenter on Lincoln Avenue in East Stroudsburg Borough.

Upshur faces four charges: retail theft by under-ringing (18 Pa.C.S. § 3929(a)(4)), possession of a small amount of marijuana for personal use (35 P.S. § 780-113(a)(31)(i)), use or possession of drug paraphernalia (35 P.S. § 780-113(a)(32)), and providing false identification to a law enforcement officer (18 Pa.C.S. § 4914(a)), a third-degree misdemeanor.

He was taken into custody at approximately 6:25 p.m. on April 21, 2026, and transported to the Monroe County Correctional Facility.

Christopher J. Upshur is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

What Happened at the East Stroudsburg Walmart

The underlying incident dates back more than eight months.

On August 9, 2025, at 12:06 p.m., Stroud Area Regional Police responded to the Walmart Supercenter at 355 Lincoln Avenue in East Stroudsburg for a reported retail theft. Loss prevention staff had already detained a male inside the store.

The man was later identified as Upshur, who had gone through a self-checkout register and under-rang $43.71 worth of merchandise — meaning he scanned items at prices lower than their actual retail value. Under Pennsylvania law, under-ringing is defined as causing a register or sales recording device to reflect less than the full retail value of merchandise, and it’s treated the same as concealing or removing goods under the state’s retail theft statute.

Upshur told the responding officer he had under-rang the items by mistake.

False Name, Then a Search

The situation got worse from there.

When the officer informed Upshur he was under official investigation and asked for his identifying information, Upshur gave a false name and a false date of birth. He eventually provided his real identity, but the false ID added a third-degree misdemeanor charge — 18 Pa.C.S. § 4914(a) — which carries up to one year in jail upon conviction.

Upshur was placed under arrest. A search incident to that arrest turned up suspected marijuana in a small black bag, along with drug paraphernalia.

He was transported to the Monroe County Correctional Facility for processing that same day.

Months-Long Warrant Chase

Charges were filed on November 17, 2025, and the case was initially assigned to Magisterial District Judge Michael A. Wolbert (MDJ 43-2-02). A summons was issued that same day — both certified and first-class mail — but both came back undeliverable by December 1, 2025.

A preliminary hearing had been scheduled for December 16, 2025, but was cancelled, likely because Upshur could not be located or served.

An arrest warrant was issued on December 3, 2025, with the Stroud Area Regional Police Department listed as the holding department.

Upshur remained at large until his arrest on April 21, 2026 — nearly five months after the warrant was issued and more than eight months after the original incident.

Arraignment and Bail

Upshur was arraigned the evening of April 21 before Magisterial District Judge Donald A. Johnson. Bail was set at $5,000 unsecured, meaning Upshur would not need to post money to be released but would owe the full amount if he fails to appear.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Johnson.

Charges Filed Against Christopher J. Upshur

• Retail Theft — Under-Ring (18 Pa.C.S. § 3929(a)(4)) — Summary offense. Under Pennsylvania law, a first-offense retail theft involving merchandise valued under $150 is graded as a summary offense. The merchandise in this case was valued at $43.71.
• Possession of Marijuana, Small Amount for Personal Use (35 P.S. § 780-113(a)(31)(i)) — Misdemeanor
• Use/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (35 P.S. § 780-113(a)(32)) — Misdemeanor
• False Identification to Law Enforcement Officer (18 Pa.C.S. § 4914(a)) — Misdemeanor of the Third Degree

Offense Date: August 9, 2025 Arrest Date: April 21, 2026 Arresting Agency: Stroud Area Regional Police Department Arresting Officer: Officer Seth T. Gable Docket Number: MJ-43202-CR-0000362-2025 OTN: N 1014266-1 Incident/Complaint Number: 2025-019156

Case Reference

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Christopher J. Upshur Magisterial District Court 43-2-02 → reassigned to MDJ 43-2-01 for arraignment Monroe County, Pennsylvania Case Status: Active — Awaiting Preliminary Hearing Next Court Date: April 28, 2026, 10:00 a.m.

About Retail Theft by Under-Ringing in Pennsylvania

Under-ringing is one of five forms of retail theft defined under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3929. The statute defines it as intentionally causing a cash register or sales recording device to reflect less than the full retail value of merchandise. The grading depends on the value of the merchandise and the defendant’s prior record: a first offense under $150 is a summary offense; a second offense under $150 jumps to a second-degree misdemeanor; merchandise valued at $150 or more on a first or second offense is a first-degree misdemeanor; and a third or subsequent offense is a felony of the third degree regardless of value.

Self-checkout lanes have made under-ringing cases more common in Monroe County and across the Poconos, as loss prevention teams increasingly rely on transaction audits and surveillance footage to flag discrepancies between scanned and bagged items.

Christopher J. Upshur has been charged but not convicted. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.