Get Patch's daily newsletter and real-time news alerts. BAY CITY, MI – Here's a love story for the books:

A Bay City man proposed to his girlfriend at Walmart on New Year's Eve after convincing a store employee to read a note asking her to marry him over the public address system. She said yes, and the crowd that had gathered around the couple clapped as they hugged and kissed. Sweet so far, right?

That's when the romantic tale went off script: The couple went on to celebrate by shoplifting jewelry and sex toys, according to court records, and off to jail they went. Police were tipped off about 6:15 p.m. on New Year's Eve by store employees at a Spencer Gifts store at Bay City Mall who told officers the couple were shoplifting. They had fled the store by the time authorities arrived, but deputies caught up with them before they got far.

Authorities found William J. Cornelius Jr., 25, sleeping in the mall food court, where he had reportedly dozed off while tying his shoes. They awoke him, and found an edible thong, a sex toy, panties and sex candy from the novelty store, according to MLive.com and WXYZ-TV. Cornelius admitted he had stolen the sex toys for his fiancée, according to court records.

He did pay for a $29.62 engagement ring at Walmart, though police said Walmart store surveillance shows his fiancée slipping a pair of gold earrings and a necklace into her purse as other customers congratulated the newly betrothed couple.

Cornelius' fiancée hasn't been arraigned. She denied stealing the jewelry, and initially told police she wasn't going to snitch on Cornelius, but then apparently changed her mind and said he had stolen the earrings and necklace.

Cornelius was arraigned on Tuesday on one count of retail fraud, punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine. He was released on a personal recognizance bond and is due back in court for a pretrial conference on Jan. 29. His fiancée posted bond Tuesday morning.