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Breaking News in the Industry: April 2, 2019

Suspect in $15K shoplift charged with ORC

A Connecticut woman has been charged with organized retail crime (ORC) after she was caught in a car with more than $15,000 worth of stolen goods in the back seat, police said. Ashley Richards 27, was arrested Friday on a warrant, the details of which were released Monday.

The case dates back to Nov. 30, when Vernon police responded to a noise complaint, according to a warrant. A gray Lexus was parked behind the residence with extremely loud music blaring from it and it took an officer several knocks on the window to get the occupant, identified as 27-year-old Ashley Richards, to “wake up,” according to a warrant.

When questioned by police, Richards gave a false name, was vague on “all” of her answers and could not explain why she was “sleeping” in a car in the rear of a home with music blasting. a warrant states. Police noticed several bags of clothes in the back of the car and the garments had tags on them, according to a warrant. She said she was holding them for a business owned by a friend for which she worked, a store called “Mr. D’s,” according to a warrant. She also tried to get out of the vehicle several times, using excuses like she had to get the mail, go to the bathroom and get bank statement.

She had no documentation for the clothing and police later determined the attire, worth a total of about $15,000, was stolen from various stores throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Richards was charged with organized retail crime over $10,000; second-degree larceny; illegal possession of a shoplifting device, and interfering with police.   [Source: Vernon Patch]

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Five arrested after chase when shoplifting goes awry

Five people were charged Monday after they were accused of shoplifting from a Dick’s Sporting Goods in Missouri and leading police on a chase. Police took them into custody Sunday, after the chase from Jefferson City ended in Ashland. Jefferson City police said several people left DICK’S Sporting Goods with a “large amount of clothing.” A news release said a loss prevention associate provided officers with a vehicle description. Aronya N. Brown; Erneisha L. Dorman; Tashianna L. Pitts; Antanesha Jones, and Rejinald J. Guy are charged with stealing and resisting arrest. Brown is also charged with a failure to obey a traffic device.

Police said they located the vehicle and tried to make a traffic stop, but the black KIA Soul kept going, eventually driving onto a highway. Police worked with the Missouri State Highway Patrol to stop the Soul just south of Ashland. Troopers used spike strips to stop the car. David Williams, of the Jefferson City Police Department, said the suspects threw some of the clothing onto the road during the chase. “A lot of it was brand new some of it was actually struck by vehicles that were on the road, because there was some traffic on the road. But we believe we accounted for all the clothing that was thrown out on the roadway during the pursuit,” Williams said. Police said they have recovered more than $3,000 in merchandise.   [Source: KOMU8 News]

Jewelry thief selling hidden jewels to pay fines

In Iowa, a North Liberty man, who was convicted for stealing jewelry from Kay Jewelers in 2017,  was charged this month for attempting to sell additional jewelry stolen from the store worth more than $20,000 to pay off fines from his previous theft charge. Troy Michael Woods, 25, was arrested Monday after the Coralville Police Department served a warrant for his arrest. He was a manager at the store at the time the thefts were reported.

“This is additional jewelry he hid,” said Coralville Police Chief Shane Kron. “He said he wanted to use it because he didn’t have the money to pay the restitution from his previous theft.” Woods was originally arrested in October of 2017 after an employee called police regarding a theft by a coworker, according to court documents. At the time, the estimated total of stolen jewelry and fraudulent transactions was about $50,000. He was found guilty in March of 2018. Court documents show he was ordered to pay $150 a month toward pecuniary damages.

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Kron said the Johnson County Attorney’s Office was notified months later that Woods was trying to sell jewelry. A company based out of New York City thought it was suspicious someone was trying to sell them jewelry of such high quality and searched Woods’ name online, the chief said.   [Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen]

Data breach affects 2M restaurant patrons

The owner of Planet Hollywood and Buca di Beppo restaurants is warning customers about a data breach that lasted 10 months. The breach was first identified by Krebs on Security in February after spotting card numbers and cardholder information for sale online. Earl Enterprises, the owner of Planet Hollywood and several other chains, says it has now resolved the issue after identifying malware installed on point-of-sale systems used at its restaurants. Many of the company’s chains are popular with tourists so families who have traveled should check this site to find out whether they’ve been impacted. Earl Enterprises issued this statement about the breach:
The malicious software was designed to capture payment card data, which could have included credit and debit card numbers, expiration dates and, in some cases, cardholder names. Although the dates of potentially affected transactions vary by location, guests that used their payment cards at potentially affected locations between May 23, 2018 and March 18, 2019 may have been affected by this incident.   [Source: NBC15 News]

Shoplifting $30 in steaks causes $10K in damages

A shoplifting suspect is now out of jail on a $400 bond, after police say he caused a big scene. Police in Evansville, Indiana, say they were called to Ruler Foods on Sunday, where they say a shoplifter, Patrick Brown, was screaming, threatening customers, and had climbed up into the ceiling of the store. Officers walked in to find customers watching the commotion in disbelief.

The manager says it started when he watched Brown grab about $30 worth of steaks, hide them in his jacket, and then try to leave the store. He stopped Brown and took him to the loss prevention area of the store. At one point, the manager says Brown tried to walk out of the store again, but was taken back to the loss prevention area. He says Brown then punched a hole in the drywall and climbed into the ceiling.

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Police say Brown climbed around, looking for a way out and he made several more holes in the ceiling and walls. Eventually, an off duty officer and a uniformed officer were able to take him into custody. There was damage to lighting, wires, metal tracks, air conditioning units, tiles, and drywall. Drink, and trash bins were also knocked over. Police say the damage is estimated to be about $10,000. Brown was taken to the hospital and then to jail.   [Source: 14 News]

Shoplifter has kid as look-out

A Casper, Wyoming, woman enlisted the help of a child as she stole $999.40 worth of merchandise from a beauty supply store, police say. Amanda Louise Hartley, 38, was arrested at Ulta Beauty in Casper Saturday on charges of shoplifting and child endangerment. Police were called to the store after employees observed Hartley and a child taking items and concealing them in a backpack. Several store employees worked together to observe Hartley and the child as they took several hundred dollars worth or merchandise.

As Hartley concealed items in the backpack, the child tried block Hartley from store employees’ view, according to court records. A store employee approached Hartley and the child and asked them to come to the back of the store. The employee then recovered $999.40 worth of merchandise from the backpack.

Police were then called to the store and Hartley admitted to police that she was taking items and concealing them in a backpack. She additionally confessed to taking items from the store, handing them to the child and having the child conceal them.The child told officers she did not conceal any items and did not want to say anything about Hartley placing them in the backpack. Hartley was arrested and transported to the Natrona County Detention Center.  The child was turned over to the Wyoming Department of Family Services for placement.   [Source: K2 News]

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