Theft suspect arrested after store clerk’s leg broken
A clerk who was trying to stop a theft suspect fleeing an Alex City, Alabama, store early Wednesday morning suffered a broken leg when the suspect ran over them, according to the Alex City Police Department. Corp. Michael Howell, a detective with Alex City PD, said officers responded to the store on Hillabee Street around 6:30 a.m. in reference to a person being run over by a vehicle.
On the scene, officers found the clerk, who was suffering non-life-threatening injuries. The victim was take to nearby Russell Medical Center before being transferred to a Montgomery hospital. Detectives determined that a man asked the clerk for cigarettes, then bolted from the store without paying. The clerk ran after him and as the suspect attempted to drive off, the clerk tried to grab him through the car’s window. The suspect subsequently ran over the clerk’s leg.
The suspect didn’t get very far, however. Detectives identified him as 23-year-old Dameyune Kortez Horton, of Huntsville, and arrested him a short time later at a nearby apartment complex. Kortez, who is charged with first-degree robbery and attempting to elude, was transported from Alex City Police custody to the Tallapoosa County Jail. [Source: WSFA12 News]
Crafty thieves arrested for stealing hundreds of dollars of craft items
Two Michigan women were arrested in Grand Traverse County after hundreds of dollars worth of stolen crafting goods were found in their vehicle. On Monday around 2 p.m., Michigan State Police Troopers pulled over a vehicle on Rennie School Road for a registration violation. The troopers noticed a large amount of new craft merchandise in the backseat without any shopping bags and investigated the scene and found the items had been stolen from stores in the area.
Managers at the stores had not reported the thefts yet but more than $600 more of merchandise was returned. A 36-year-old Kalkaska woman was arrested for first degree retail fraud and the driver, a 34-year-old Kalkaska woman was arrested for driving on a suspended license. Both women also had outstanding warrants for their arrest, troopers said. They were both taken to the Grand Traverse County Jail and posted bond, their arraignments are scheduled for next week. [Source: UpNorthLive]
Can Rutgers’ lost season be traced to the credit card fraud scheme?
In retrospect, Rutgers coach Chris Ash conceded he might’ve downplayed the impact that the loss of eight players involved in an alleged credit-card fraud scheme would have on his team this fall. “Anytime you lose that number of guys,” Ash said Monday, “it hurts.”
It was a far cry from what Ash said in July, when he expressed confidence that his Scarlet Knights would be just fine without the eight players heading into training camp. “It’s not adversity; it’s not a speed bump,” Ash told NJ Advance Media at the time. “It’s an event that happened a long time ago that we’re going to deal with and get through.”
Ash could’ve used the situation as a way to temper expectations heading into his third season. After all, his team was about to enter training camp without eight players who were expected to contribute to both the back-7 of the defense and to a variety of special teams units. “I look at it as ‘so what?’ ” Ash said. “It’s an opportunity for our football team to grow and get stronger. And that’s exactly what we have done.”
Flash forward to today. The Scarlet Knights sit at 1-6 overall, 0-4 in Big Ten play, heading into a Homecoming affair this Saturday against Northwestern. The hope that Rutgers would reach a bowl game — one of Ash’s stated goals in July — has been squashed by the likelihood of more embarrassing losses heading into a brutal stretch of Big Ten powers over the final six weeks. “I really feel bad for our players,” Ash said Monday. “These guys have worked really hard, and I feel like they deserve a win … and we are going to keep working hard to get that done.”
In recent weeks, Ash has talked openly about the loss of 16 players who he said would’ve likely had an impact this fall. But he stopped short of using the absence of the eight players — two were dismissed, two others left the program, and four are currently serving suspensions while their legal cases get resolve — as an excuse. As his team prepares for its next Big Ten match-up, Ash conceded the absence of the eight players had an effect. “You look back on it,” he said, “I knew there was a chance it would hurt us if things (didn’t) go perfect. Things haven’t gone perfect so, yes, it’s hurt us.” [Source: NJ.com]
Man stole from same retailer four times
An Illinois man accused of stealing from a Decatur Walmart four times this year is behind bars. Sworn statements from police say 49-year-old Tony Tyus stole from the same store, located at 4625 E. Maryland St., between July and October. Officers arrested him two days after what they say was the fourth theft attempt. Police say he went into the store on the morning of July 22 with a cart and took several things, include a Fisher Price Power Wheels “Dune Extreme” toy. That item alone carried a $199 cost. They say he left the store without paying for any of the stolen things.
The statement says a Walmart worker caught Tyus in the parking lot after a theft on Oct. 23. It says he put more than one vacuum, an air fryer, soda, coffee and six bottles of alcoholic drinks – worth over $493 in total – in the cart and left the store. After 3 a.m. on Sept. 4, police say Tyus and 31-year-old Marcus James went into the store one after the other and walked out with things they didn’t pay for. Officers say one of them took a dehumidifier and air mattress, while the other left with 21 packages of meat in a cart. They’re accused of leaving the store in the same black SUV.
In the last theft attempt sworn statements mention, police say Tyus went into the store just after 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 13 and headed for the fresh meat cooler and frozen food aisle. Officers say they saw on security video that his clothing seemed bulkier after he left the store. Walmart leaders then discovered $226.64 of meat missing. In total, the items listed in statements as stolen had a value of over $1,500. Tyus is facing burglary and retail theft charges. He is behind bars in the Macon County Jail. Investigators says they’re still looking for James on Tuesday. Tyus has three past convictions on his record, including two for theft and one for burglary. [Source: WAND17 News]
Shoplifting suspect arrested and banned from local stores
A prolific shoplifter in Wisconsin has been banned for life from West Towne Mall, East Town Mall and all Walmart, Walgreen’s and Hy-Vee stores. Madison police said the suspect’s latest arrest happened on Oct. 13 at a Walmart on 4198 Nakoosa Trail. He was caught stealing ten bottles of liquor worth $320.
Madison police said officers had probable cause to arrest the suspect for two other recent incidents. Police said the victim has five open court cases including two felonies and three misdemeanors… all related to retail thefts. Jermaine Harris, 45 of Madison, was arrested for strong armed robbery, retail theft and felony bail jumping. [Source: WMTV15 News]
Google moves into retailing with pop-ups; B8TA stores
Google showed off its new Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL phones and the new Pixel Slate, along with a passel of other Google and Pixel-branded products, earlier this week. “A Few New Things Made By Google” was big news for tech watchers as Google, and a reminder that Google, once on the service end, is a fully established hardware marketer too. Google also announced that the new stuff will be on display and for sale at seven b8ta stores that are separately owned by the startup retailer, which will serve as demo showcases for its connected-home type products. B8ta locations seem to be retailing’s latest flavor, located in all the places you would imagine — New York, Chicago, Santa Monica, Seattle, San Francisco… and a few other big cities.
In addition, B8ta operates 70 stores-within-a-stores at Lowe’s locations. The places serve as a hub for smart products displayed the way consumers might use them in their homes. The hired help are called “B8ta testers.” Google is no stranger to retail, of course. The company will also open pop-up stores in Chicago and New York, as it did last year, essentially acting as showrooms for Pixel (and other brands, too). The Google pop-ups open on October 18, the same day the new products are available, and they are due to close New Year’s Eve. Consumers in some locales will be able to order remotely and have Pixel products delivered, within minutes, via the new Google Enjoy service. So even in that “last mile” of retailing, Amazon and Google seem to be going head to head.
In addition, B8ta operates 70 stores-within-a-stores at Lowe’s locations. The places serve as a hub for smart products displayed the way consumers might use them in their homes. The hired help are called “B8ta testers.” Google is no stranger to retail, of course. The company will also open pop-up stores in Chicago and New York, as it did last year, essentially acting as showrooms for Pixel (and other brands, too). The Google pop-ups open on October 18, the same day the new products are available, and they are due to close New Year’s Eve. Consumers in some locales will be able to order remotely and have Pixel products delivered, within minutes, via the new Google Enjoy service. So even in that “last mile” of retailing, Amazon and Google seem to be going head to head. [Source: Media Post]