Employee, customer accused in $6.7K Lowe's theft ring  Authorities told News 2 a clerk pretended to ring up thousands in equipment then allowed an accomplice to walk out the door without paying. Click here to view photos of the stolen items. Dickson investigators said it happened at least six times or more. According to Detective Josh Ethridge, two men were charged in connection to the theft operation at Lowe's in Dickson, 24-year-old Joseph Capps and 32-year-old Justin Alley. "It started off as an employee theft at Lowes. Employees were investigated by loss prevention and we identified a second suspect who doesn't work at Lowe's," Det. Ethridge said. News 2 was shown photos of $6,700 worth of equipment and supplies stolen and ultimately recovered.  wkrn.com

Bold theft of 22 guns from Fred Meyer nets man 6 years in prison  Of 22 pistols that Mark Reyna stole from a gun case at a Fred Meyer in a bold grab during business hours, 15 are still missing. Authorities have no idea what happened to them and Reyna apparently isn't talking. Reyna was sentenced to six years in federal prison for taking a backpack off one of the shelves of a Fred Meyer in Newberg, using a hammer to pry open the locked gun display and walking out of the store with the guns stashed in the backpack. It was about 9 p.m. on June 18, 2014. "This was a very serious and brazen offense," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Weinhouse, who prosecuted the case. The stolen guns - a mix of 9 millimeter, .40- and .45-caliber pistols -- were valued at $12,000. Reyna admitted to authorities that he stole the firearms with the intent to sell them and had sold several of them before he was arrested. Fred Meyer has since revised its gun security policies to prevent similar thefts in the future, said Melinda Merrill, a company spokeswoman. oregonlive.com

Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office Arrest Two for Using Nonprofit Organization to Steal $500,000 in Merchandise in Destin, FL  The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has arrested two people in connection with a scheme that resulted in the theft of approximately $500,000 worth of merchandise from a Destin retail store. 56-year old Cedric Fearson of Fort Walton Beach and 37-year old Thelda Jean Kent of Crestview, have both been charged with felony grand theft after investigators say they used a nonprofit organization, "Others of Destin," to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise from the Target Store in Destin where Kent was employed. "Others of Destin", which was directed by Fearson, had an ongoing contract with Target Corporation through the Destin store which allowed them to remove certain perishable items from the store for charitable donations. Target Corporation noticed that there were several discrepancies in inventory and how these items were being provided to "Others of Destin". OCSO Investigators worked with members of Target Corporate Security and determined that Kent was adding non-perishable items, such as electronics, to the "Others of Destin" pallet for pick up. Fearson would load the items into a truck and was seen on several occasions unloading items at his personal residence. Kent was also seen removing items from the truck and putting it into her vehicle. Investigators discovered a large amount of the stolen property in Kent's residence following her arrest. Fearson was arrested at the Okaloosa County Jail last night. Kent was arrested on June 4th and stated during an interview with investigators that the scheme she and Fearson were involved in began approximately two years ago. The investigation is continuing. sheriff-okaloosa.org

14 Alleged Gang Members Indicted on Racketeering Charges in Baltimore, MD Fourteen men have been indicted on racketeering and drug trafficking offenses as alleged members of a notorious gang. The 9-count superseding indictment was returned on June 3 and unsealed Wednesday in federal court in Baltimore. The U.S. Attorney's Office says the men are accused of two murders, two attempted murders and three fatal drug overdoses. The indictment says that from at least 2012 to now, the alleged gang members took part in narcotics trafficking, murder, extortion; robbery, and retaliation against a witness or informant. cbslocal.com


Serial thief stealing power tools in Longview, WA
Someone has been stealing lots of power tools from Longview stores and now police are hoping a surveillance photo will help them catch him. The man has been caught on video multiple times stealing power tools at local retail stores, according to Detective Tory Shelton with the Longview Police Department. In one image captured on camera on June 1st, he was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and jeans, along with a baseball cap. kgw.com