|
|
 16
Arrested, 2 Others Sought in Retail Theft Ring making $400k
yearly, Poke County, FL., Sheriff's Office Says
For 18 years, Malynda Ford of Lakeland
managed to walk into department stores, pick up six or seven
pieces of clothing and leave undetected, Polk County Sheriff
Grady Judd said at a news conference Thursday. Judd said
Ford was part of a large-scale retail theft ring that she
organized and that Judd estimated shoplifted between
$350,000 and $400,000 a year in merchandise. Judd said that
estimate was based on what sheriff's officials were able to
determine was taken in one day. The Sheriff's Office said 16
others were arrested by deputies and charged with dealing in
stolen property, a second-degree felony. Detectives worked
with retail loss prevention teams from such stores as
Beall's, Beall's Outlet, Stein Mart and Kohl's to identify
the suspects, Judd said. The operation stretched across
Polk, Tampa, Brandon and Plant City. "When you look at this
size of an operation for a 30-day period, it's staggering,"
he said. "Some of these folks (who were arrested) have told
us they target stores where there is a notice to appear (in
court) policy rather than an arrest policy," Judd said.
"When you send people to jail, it makes a difference. When
you lock someone in jail, they have to post a bond; they are
inconvenienced." (Source
theledger.com) (Source
baynews9.com)
 'Professional Shoplifters' cause headaches for retailers
The most basic items are being stolen left
and right by gangs of shoplifters from the Kansas City metro
area. This year, in two cases alone, thieves in Kansas City
stole several hundred thousand dollars worth of product.
Four years ago, Carol Keplinger's Overland Park Kansas store
had $1600 worth of Yankee Candles pilfered off the shelves
in a matter of seconds. Police and private security experts
say they are battling an ever-growing problem of organized
retail crime. Low-level shoplifters hop from store to store
stealing name-brand items, from high-end products to Tide
detergent. "It's very lucrative. It's fairly low-risk and
high-reward," said Chad Sellers of Midwest Digital Systems.
Chad had installed security at Keplinger's business but that
doesn't deter thieves from shoplifting in the footsteps of
those who have been caught. Due to the increasing number of
shoplifting cases, business owners are left with no other
choice but to raise their prices. What a headache for
customers. (Source
kmbc.com)
ORC?
TJ Maxx in Kansas City hit by two women taking $1,250 in
purses Two women hit the Kansas City store on N. Evanston just
before 5:30 p.m. for $1,250 in purses. One woman held the
door open while the other rushed out into a dark-colored
SUV. (Source
kmbc.com)
Southern Ohio man pleads guilty to selling stolen items from
Walgreens, CVS and Rite-Aid at Flea Market.
Jeffery Jones of Proctorville, Ohio, a small town on the
border of the Ohio River and West Virginia plead guilty
Wednesday to four counts of fifth degree receiving stolen
property. Jones is the co-owner of the Flea Market and was
arrested back in 2012 during a raid conducted by the
Lawrence Drug and Major Crimes Task Force. Jones was
believed to have purchased the stolen property from a ring
of shoplifters who targeted Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS.
(Source
irontontribune.com)
Urban
Outfitters in Brooklyn, NY hit by 5 suspects
stealing 20 pairs of pants. Police
have release surveillance video photos of four of the five
suspects being sought for stealing 20 pairs of pants from
the Urban Outfitter store n Brooklyn. Police say at least
one of the group members was used to distract the associate while
the other took the merchandise and ran.
(Source
nbcnewyork.com)
 Maryland
woman arrested, three still being sought in a Distraction
Team theft at a Radio Shack in Muhlenberg.
A Maryland woman has been arrested on charges
she and another woman stole 18 smartphones valued at a total
of $11,600 from the RadioShack store in the Fairgrounds
Square Mall in February after two male accomplices
distracted employees. Police were called to RadioShack for a
report that four people were involved in a theft. The men
distracted two employees while the women went to the back
room and 10 iPhones and 8 other devices.
(Source
wfmz.com)
News on a new ORC
effort in a specific locality that is much needed may be
released next week. Stay
tuned as a group of senior LP executives may be making an
announcement soon. |
|
|
What's Happening?
Coming soon:
Mobile App's
LP Show Coverage
The Top 10
|
|
