Michigan judge rejects plan for Walmart shoplifters to wash cars

Judge overrules plan

for shoplifter penalty

DETROIT — A Michigan judge has thrown cold water on a plan to have Walmart shoplifters wash cars as a consequence for their misdemeanor crimes.

The unusual sentence came from Judge Jeffrey Clothier, who has been on the 67th District Court in Genesee County for only a few months. He said having shoplifters give free car washes would serve the community and possibly discourage other people from stealing from the big retailer.

But Chief Judge William Crawford II overruled him, saying the junior jurist first should have sought approval from him and other court officials.

“This is especially true where the proposed alternative punishment deviates from the usual and accepted methods,” Crawford said in a statement Friday, adding that “‘Walmart Washes’ will not be taking place as reported.”

Clothier made headlines in February when he told The Associated Press that he was ordering 75 to 100 store thieves to return to Grand Blanc Township, near Flint, to wash cars for free when spring weather arrives.

He said he had the endorsement of local store managers. But after hearing about the plan, officials at Walmart headquarters in Arkansas told him they didn’t want the car washes to be offered on store property.

— The Associated Press

Canadian index down

5% amid tariff woes

NEW YORK — Trade war turmoil is weighing heavily on financial markets in Canada.

Canada’s main stock index has been tumbling along with U.S. indexes since President Donald Trump initiated a trade war with his North American neighbors. Mexico’s main stock index has remained relatively steady following measures from the Mexican government to stabilize financial markets.

The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index reached an all-time high on Jan. 30. It started sliding a day later after the first salvo in the form of announced 25% tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico. Since then, Trump has rattled markets with uncertainty as he changes his mind on implementing or delaying tariffs on a seemingly daily basis.

The S&P/TSX composite has shed about 5% since Trump opened the trade war on Jan. 31. The financial sector is among the hardest hit, with a 8.6% drop. The industrial sector is down 7.4%, while the energy sector has shed 5.4%.

U.S. markets have also been tumbling, with the S&P 500, a key benchmark for the market’s health, notching a 4% decline so far this year.

— The Associated Press

Arkansas Index ends

week with 1.18 gain

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Friday at 823.60, up 1.18 points.

The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.