Two Charged with 5-Year Felonies for Shoplifting Complaints
In unrelated incidents, two people are facing five-year felonies due to police alleging they stole hefty amounts of property from Bay County Meijer and Kmart stores. The first incident occurred at Meijer in Monitor Township on Tuesday, May 10. A Michigan State Police trooper responded to the store for a shoplifting complaint, being advised the female suspect and her small child had left the site on foot prior to his arrival, court records show.
A Bay County sheriff’s deputy soon spotted and detained the suspect, identified as 32-year-old Angie M. Charbonneau as she walked through a private residence’s backyard. The deputy brought Charbonneau and her 5-year-old son back to Meijer, where loss prevention personnel identified them as the culprits. Loss prevention officers told police they had been watching Charbonneau and her son walk through the store for about five hours. Charbonneau and her son had been opening packages and putting items in her purse, court records show. In all, officials recovered $820.49 in stolen merchandise from Charbonneau. The items included toys, cosmetics, and jewelry, court records show. A marijuana joint was also found on Charbonneau,. Asked why she did it, Charbonneau replied that “she didn’t know; stupid I guess,” court records show. [Source: Mlive.com]
Pokémon Go: Player Drives into Police Car While Another Is Robbed
A woman trying to catch Pokémon got stuck in a cemetery tree in New Jersey, a Baltimore man drove into a police car and a man in New Hampshire was robbed at knifepoint, as officers around the US struggle to respond to Pokémon hunters distracted into danger.“For all those out there playing Pokémon Go, take heed of all of the warnings and be careful not to put yourself into bad situations,” the department posted on Facebook. “Think about what you are doing and where you are going before you actually do it.”
Police said the driver told police that he was looking down at the game on his cellphone when he hit the cruiser. No one was hurt in the incident, and the police spokesperson TJ Smith said prosecutors were considering charges. In body camera footage released by police, the man steps out and shows officers his phone. “That’s what I get for playing this dumbass game,” he said. [Source: The Guardian]
Store Employee & Girlfriend Accused of Stealing Over $10K From Store
A former Athens Walmart employee and his alleged girlfriend accused of stealing $10,307 in merchandise from the store are facing felony theft charges, an official said Wednesday.
Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson said an officer was dispatched July 18 to the store regarding two people stealing merchandise. Store officials determined that between May and July, Walmart employee Michael Lee Leopard, 44, and Heather Leanne Rice, 32, a customer who was in a relationship with Leopard, conspired to take assorted items, including televisions, clothing and other merchandise from the store.
According to Johnson, Rice would enter the store, shop and then go through Leopard’s checkout lane. Leopard would pretend to scan each of Rice’s items and Rice would swipe her debit/credit card through the card reader as if to pay for the items. Leopard would run a blank register tape, tear off a section and hand it to Rice as if he was giving her a receipt. Both Rice and Leopard were arrested Tuesday on charges of first-degree theft of property. They were booked at the Police Department and transferred to the Limestone County Jail, where they were released after posting bail of $5,000 each. [Source: The News Courier]
Jewelry Store Employee Charged with $20K Theft
A Southwest Virginia woman faces felony theft charges in Tennessee, with police saying she swiped more than $20,000 worth of jewelry from her employer in the Kingsport Town Center. Jamie Darlene Rich, 20, was arrested on Saturday. An incident report at the Kingsport Police Department says officers were called to Zales by an assistant manager. The complainant stated that Rich was an employee, with the company suspecting she had stolen 14 separate pieces of jewelry. The alleged thefts occurred on Tuesday with the total value of merchandise estimated at $20,228.
Rich was subsequently charged with theft over $10,000. A police report indicates that the stolen items were not immediately recovered, but three $100 bills in the possession of Rich were seized as evidence. [Source: Times-News]
Top 10 Most Profitable Retailers of 2016
Forget revenue, store counts, online traffic, etc. — if you want to know who is succeeded in retail just look at the bottom line — it is all about turning a profit. Apparel Magazine’s “Top 50” ranks the 50 apparel companies that have the highest profit margin. There are many familiar members of the annual report as well as a handful of first-timers — including number one overall Michael Kors, which took the top spot with a 20.15% profit margin.
- Michael Kors: Profit Margin: 20.15%.
- The Buckle: Profit Margin: 13.16%.
- lululemon athletica: Profit Margin: 12.91%.
- Nike: Profit Margin: 10.70%.
- L Brands: Profit Margin: 10.31%.
- VF Corp: Profit Margin: 9.95%.
- Francesca’s Collections: Profit Margin: 8.69%.
- Ross Stores: Profit Margin: 8.55%.
- Carter’s: Profit Margin:7.89%.
- Columbia Sportswear: Profit Margin: 7.49%.
[Source: RIS News]