Stonington — A Rhode Island prosecutor has dismissed a shoplifting charge against Stonington High School Associate Principal Alica Sweet Dawe after she agreed to make a $250 contribution to the state’s victim’s assistance fund.

Dawe was issued a summons for misdemeanor shoplifting on Sept. 12 after North Kingstown police said she failed to pay for $178.68 of groceries and toys at a Walmart store there.

On Oct. 6, North Kingstown town solicitor James Callaghan dismissed the charge. Last week, a judge granted a motion filed by Dawe’s attorney to expunge records of the case. While those records are no longer found on the state judicial department database, The Day had obtained records of the case last month.

Callaghan explained to The Day that the case was handled the same as any other shoplifting case involving a first offense and a defendant with no previous record — they are offered a dismissal in exchange for a contribution to the victims assistance fund. Callaghan said he did not get into the facts of what occurred during the incident because the offer was accepted by the 49-year-old Dawe, who lives in neighboring West Kingston.

According to the criminal complaint filed by the police, Dawe took and concealed miscellaneous groceries and toys valued at $178.68. The items were recovered.

Dawe was named the 2019 Elementary School Principal of the Year by the Connecticut Association of Schools. She had been the principal at West Vine Street School for seven years before moving to the high school for the 2020-21 school year.

Asked about the incident, Dawe wrote in an email to The Day that the incident was “a complete misunderstanding and can happen to anyone.”

She said she was “grateful to the North Kingstown Police Department for its diligence in dismissing the baseless charge promptly and for the efficiency of the Kent County District Court in making sure the case dismissal status appeared on public records quickly.”

Dawe explained that while shopping at the Walmart with her daughter the scanner at the self-checkout line malfunctioned numerous times. She said she alerted Walmart employees on at least three occasions that the scanner was malfunctioning.

“At each of my requests, a Walmart employee physically came to the checkout line, looked at the scanner and told me to continue checking out. After I checked out, a separate member of the Walmart staff asked to review my receipt and items, which I gladly allowed,” she wrote pointing out that the staff review of her receipt was completed by Walmart employees other than the ones who had helped her during the checkout process.

Dawe wrote she welcomed the North Kingstown police officer who was assisting with the process but “it seemed that the officer had little choice but to give me a ticket for the misunderstanding.”

Dawe pointed out she was never arrested but given a summons and told to go to court to explain the malfunctioning scanner.

“Once I explained in court what had happened — namely that the scanner was malfunctioning, that the Walmart employees were aware of it and then separate employees reviewed the receipt — the matter was immediately dismissed,” she wrote.

Dawe did not respond to follow up questions from The Day and a request to speak with her or her attorney.