MURFREESBORO, TN - It’s summer in Rutherford County, and while some people hit the beach or maybe a job fair, one 19-year-old visionary decided to risk his freedom for a bag of Flaming Hot Funyuns and a Kool-Aid packet — because inflation is tough, but snack cravings are tougher.

The daring heist went down at a local Walmart where the teen — practically a celebrity regular — allegedly strutted through the aisles with tunnel vision for that crunchy, spicy bag of processed onions.

Once at the self-checkout, he demonstrated the kind of ingenuity that would make a seasoned career criminal blush: scan the 30-cent Kool-Aid while pretending it’s the $4.82 chips. Brilliant. Except for the part where store loss prevention employees actually get paid to, you know, prevent loss.

His bold plan hit a snag when the store’s theft prevention worker, who probably deserves a raise just for the comedic value of this arrest, recognized him immediately — perhaps because he lives literally 780 feet from the front door. Naturally, a quick jog home couldn’t shake the watchful eye of security cameras and a DMV record.

Police now have matching surveillance footage and a driver’s license photo to immortalize his $4.82 life choice. Meanwhile, Rutherford County can rest easy knowing this dangerous snack bandit may soon face charges. However, to date no charges have been filed. As for the missing Funyuns? They’re likely in the kids belly and chances are good - - he drank the Kool-Aid.

On a side note, the most recent court proceeding against the young chip thief is a case involving a previous apartment unit that he once called. Evidently, he failed to pay rent and still owes the landlord for several months. The complex filed against the 19-year-old earlier this year after he moved out. The good news for him… His new apartment is actually closer to Walmart, as noted in this story.