Two Vancouver residents suspected in Safeway $15,000 ORC thefts
Two Vancouver residents accused of stealing more than $15,000 from local Safeway stores since February made first appearances in Clark County Superior Court on Wednesday. Alicia F. Brown, 26, and Jacob A. Beatty, 33, face allegations of first-degree organized retail theft, 10 counts of trafficking in known stolen property, first-degree theft and first-degree possession of stolen property. According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court, investigators with the Northwest Organized Retail Crime Alliance met in February after noticing a large amount of Similac infant formula and personal care items being sold for prices substantially lower than retail value through online store fronts, such as OfferUp. Private investigator Christopher Frazier found a posting for the formula and shaving razors on OfferUp being sold by an individual who went by the name Alicia. This pattern of stealing merchandise from Safeway stores across Clark County and then selling the merchandise to Frazier went on until about June 7, the affidavit says. In total, Brown allegedly stole $7,935.52 worth of merchandise from Safeway. Beatty allegedly stole $7,358.73 worth of merchandise. columbian.com

Violin worth $200,000 stolen from Lilburn shop in purported instrument 'theft ring'  Dressed to the nines in a sharp suit, a man with jet black, curly hair strolled into a Lilburn violin shop earlier this month and began to browse. It was a busy Saturday at Ronald Sachs Violins on Pleasant Hill Road, recalled Cody Sisk, an instrument maker at the business. Sisk said the man had his eye on one item in particular, a "gorgeous" violin made in 1781 by the renowned Italian craftsman Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi. "He picked it up and asked one of our employees, How much is this?" Sisk said Wednesday. #The answer: $200,000. Taken aback, the man put the violin down, and the employee went about his work, leaving the man to himself. Ronald Sachs Violins wouldn't see the prized instrument until a week later. Police found it in a room at a Roswell extended stay hotel in a bust that shook up what some in the niche violin community are calling a "theft ring" in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Along with the violin from Lilburn, police say they found five instruments from Atlanta Violins in Roswell, as well as several other instruments. The Roswell store owner realized the violins were gone after a shop owner in Raleigh, N.C. called to say they had the instruments, police said. gwinnettdailypost.com

Multnomah County, OR Sheriff's arrest 2 in $6,000 Electronics theft from Walmart  Two people are accused of being part of an organized retail theft operation that resulted in the loss of more than $6,000 from Walmart. Aurora Hinkley and Jason David Wigley have been indicted by a Multnomah County grand jury with one count each of organized retail theft and first-degree theft. Court records show that on or about Sep. 5, 2013, they unlawfully and knowingly, while acting in concert, took property from Walmart that, within a 90-day period, that exceeded more than $5,000. Lt. Steve Alexander, a spokesperson with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, said in January 2015, Wigley and Hinkley were stealing electronics. He said Detective Rian Hakala was working and the case and could not provide additional details. Officials said there are pending investigations against Wigley and Hinkley in Washington and Idaho. koin.com

Georgia Woman stole 131 pairs of underwear from Walmart
A Georgia woman was arrested after stealing 131 pairs of underwear from a Walmart store, police said. Julia Marie Jones, 22, tried hiding the garments in her purse, a handbag and grocery bags, according to a Huffington Post report citing police. The underwear was worth about $750, the HuffPo story said. Jones was charged with felony theft by shoplifting and released on $5,000 bond. ozarksfirst.com