He stole $45,000 from a Pierce County Home Depot. His rewards account led to his arrest
Gig Harbor police accuse a man of stealing more than $45,000 in merchandise from Home Depot in the past year through a self-checkout scheme, according to court records.
Prosecutors charged the 38-year-old Tuesday with four counts of first-degree organized retail theft. His arraignment is scheduled for next month in Pierce County Superior Court.
Charging papers give this account of what happened:
A list of dates and stolen merchandise alleges the thefts started last July. His largest haul, on a visit in September, was just under $2,500.
It was using his rewards account that got him caught.
“Loss prevention found that the defendant had a rewards account with Home Depot,” the declaration for determination of probable cause said. “Using the rewards account, they could pull his credit card purchases and review surveillance.”
He used cards in his name and in his business’ name to pay, and he used his driver’s license at one point when he had Home Depot process a refund.
“Loss prevention stated that the defendant would mask his thefts by making small purchases at the self-checkout registers prior to pushing out the cartload of unpaid merchandise,” the probable cause statement said. “Loss prevention could see the defendant failing to scan or pay for high dollar items.”
Police responded to the store May 22 and saw the man leaving with a cart of merchandise.
“The defendant said he missed scanning some boards, solar lights and brackets,” the charging papers said.
His receipt only showed 28 boards, but he had 36. He had solar lights and other items, too, as well as two baggies he said contained methamphetamine.
Each of the four counts he’s charged with has a “major economic enhancement,” which means if he’s convicted as charged a judge could give him a sentence above the standard range.
State law says that enhancement applies when there are “multiple victims or multiple incidents per victim,” when there is “attempted or actual monetary loss substantially greater than typical for the offense,” when there was “a high degree of sophistication or planning” or the crime “occurred over a lengthy period of time,” or when the person used a “position of trust, confidence, or fiduciary responsibility to facilitate” the crime.
Emphasis patrols in Gig Harbor
Gig Harbor police have taken steps to address retail theft in recent years, including regular emphasis patrols. They identified 21 shoplifters during a two-day operation last month, according to one of the agency’s social media posts.
Many got citations, but some went to jail, including someone who was caught twice. Police cited him for shoplifting at one store, then found him stealing from another. They also arrested someone who had a $150,000 Kitsap County warrant for identity theft.
“Retail theft is among our biggest issues in Gig Harbor (and all of Washington),” the agency’s social media post said. “We will continue to address this crime with these types of emphasis operations while working with our business partners to help them reduce their vulnerabilities. You never know when we will be out there again.”
