Theft Crimes

Published on: July 16, 2024

Man in Leopard Onesie Freed Animals from Pet Store

A man in Ohio was arrested on felony charges when he was reportedly found with hamsters in his pocket after allegedly breaking into businesses after hours and releasing animals from a pet store.

Three businesses in Columbus were broken into early in the morning on July 9. The surveillance footage at a Roosters restaurant showed someone who appeared to be male entering the eatery around 3:00 am. The alarms were activated, which alerted the higher-ups about the breach. According to reports, the intruder had long hair and was wearing pajamas. Officers from the Columbus Police Department went to the establishment and opened an investigation.

While the authorities were still in the area, they learned that a Petland pet store down the street was also entered by a man wearing pajamas. While the suspect was inside the store, he reportedly freed animals from their habitats and allowed them to go out the door into the wild. When officers went to the location, they reported several types of animals were roaming the parking lot, including two dogs, bunnies, birds, hamsters, and ferrets.

Continue reading →

Published on: July 13, 2024

Shoplifter Bought Magnet to Remove Security Tags from Items

by Staycie R. Sena

A Florida woman was arrested after allegedly purchasing a magnet to assist her in stealing from a retail store in the mall by using it to remove security devices from the clothing and merchandise.

Just before midnight on June 27, an officer with the Clearwater Police Department pulled over a moped with a female passenger. When he approached, he identified the passenger as someone with an active arrest warrant from Oklahoma. The officer let the woman know she was being detained, and he noticed she was holding several bags. When he began looking through them, the officer became suspicious when he thought he saw clothing that still had the security tags attached. He looked through the rest of the bags, which also reportedly had locked tags affixed, and allegedly discovered many additional pieces of merchandise that he believed had been stolen. While inspecting the contents of her purse, the officer reportedly found a large magnet.

According to reports, when discussing what was found, the woman told the officer she purchased the magnet on Amazon, and that she was able to use it to take the security tags off items. She allegedly said she took the items she was holding from the Clearwater Mall location of Burlington Coat Factory by simply walking out of the store and planned to use the magnet to take the tags off later.

Continue reading →

Published on: July 12, 2024

Man Arrested After Trying to Withdraw Penny from Bank

by Staycie R. Sena

A Florida man without permanent residency is facing a felony charge after allegedly trying to rob a Sumter County bank for a penny.

On the afternoon of June 29, a man went into a Chase Bank located in Lady Lake. He reportedly retrieved a withdrawal slip and filled it out with information stating that he wanted to withdraw one cent. When he was finished with the slip, he approached one of the tellers and handed her the paper.

When she read the slip, she let the man know she wouldn’t be able to process the transaction since it was only for a penny. He allegedly responded with, “So you want me to say the other word?” The woman became concerned and alerted the police.

Continue reading →

Published on: July 5, 2024

Armed Man Stole Cash and Car from Taco Bell

by Staycie R. Sena

An Indiana man was arrested and jailed on over a dozen charges after allegedly robbing a fast-food restaurant at gunpoint, stealing a vehicle from the parking lot, leading the police on a chase, and illegally firing a gun.

Early in the morning on June 30, employees at a Taco Bell located in Fishers experienced a scare when a car with three people in it rolled up to the drive-thru window. According to reports, when the trio interacted with the staff, they allegedly ordered them to hand over cash while holding handguns. Before leaving the premises with the money, one of the people in the vehicle reportedly made off with an employee’s Dodge Challenger parked in the lot.

The authorities were notified, and officers from the Fishers Police Department followed up on the report. They searched nearby for the allegedly stolen car, and when they located it, they pulled over the driver. The man stopped the vehicle but reportedly ran off.

Continue reading →

Published on: June 30, 2024

ArcheAge Player Flew to Florida to Attack In-Game Rival

by Staycie R. Sena

A man from New Jersey is facing serious charges after reportedly traveling to Florida with the alleged purpose of confronting and harming a person he dislikes who plays the same MMORPG.

ArcheAge is one of many popular massively multiplayer online role-playing games. A few of the game’s many features that players can enjoy is the ability to create unique characters that quest, fight, master skills, and craft and sell items. Players can also communicate with each other, which often leads to personality clashes and arguments in the competitive setting.

Recently, two men, one from New Jersey and the other from Florida got into a squabble while in the game. The 20-year-old New Jerseyan reportedly reacted strongly to the situation and allegedly decided to handle it in person. According to reports, on the evening of June 20, he took a flight from Newark to Jacksonville and checked into the Ocean Coast Hotel when he arrived. Afterward, he allegedly headed to a local hardware store and picked up a hammer and a flashlight.

Continue reading →

Published on: June 27, 2024

Florida Couple Fell Victim to $400,000 Phone Scam

by Staycie R. Sena

A scammer reportedly called a couple in Florida and told them they would be arrested for illegal online account activity if they did not hand over $400,000 in gold bars to a person posing as a government official.

At the beginning of May, a married couple in Jensen Beach received a phone call from someone stating that they were an agent for Amazon, and they found what they believed was fraudulent activity on the 78-year-old man’s account. They additionally claimed his wife’s personal account was flagged for fraud. During the discussion, the alleged agent told the man the call was being transferred to a government agent.

According to reports, the person identified themselves as “Brian Alba,” who told the man that he had several active arrest warrants because of the situation. Alba reportedly negotiated a deal with the man, offering to keep him out of the lockup if he obtained $154,000 in gold. They said he should have his bank give him a cashier’s check to make the purchase, and once it was received, Alba would send a cashier’s check to the man in the amount of the purchase. He was instructed to wrap the gold in a box to make it look like a Christmas gift.

Continue reading →

Published on: June 24, 2024

Isaiah Buggs Arrested for Domestic Violence on Father’s Day

by Staycie R. Sena

Isaiah Buggs of the Kansas City Chiefs was arrested for domestic violence after he allegedly broke into the mother of his child’s apartment and reportedly physically harmed her.

27-year-old Isaiah Buggs, who began his career in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019, currently plays defensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs. The American football player has recently been in the news for an arrest regarding allegations of animal cruelty. Early in the morning on June 16, Buggs was involved in another situation involving criminal charges.

Around 5:30 AM, Buggs reportedly went to the apartment where the mother of his child resides. He allegedly used a tire iron to break into the dwelling, and when he got inside, he reportedly went after the woman. It was reported that Buggs wounded her by dragging her down a flight of stairs. When she said she was going to call the police, Buggs reportedly left the premises.

Continue reading →

Published on: June 22, 2024

Two Women Arrested for Multi-State Theft Scam

by Staycie R. Sena

Two women from southeastern Michigan have been accused of a theft scam spanning several states after they were reportedly found with thousands of dollars worth of products presumed to have been stolen from retail outlets.

According to reports, the authorities learned that stores in at least six states had been targeted by thieves. During the initial phase of the investigation, they reviewed surveillance footage of the parking lots and saw what looked like the same car at each location. They believed they identified the vehicle being used by the involved parties, but the search for the alleged perpetrators continued.

On the morning of June 17, a crime investigator from Lowe’s in Elizabethtown, Kentucky called the authorities to report a theft of approximately $1,000 in products. It was believed that the two women accused of the incident were in the car seen in the parking lots of the other stores that were allegedly targeted.

Continue reading →

Published on: June 18, 2024

Arkansas Circle K Worker Accused of Stealing $20,000

by Staycie R. Sena

A gas station worker in Arkansas was arrested after her employer named her the culprit when they reportedly found someone had stolen approximately $20,000 from the business by entering fake gas pump transactions.

Recently, a manager at the Circle K Convenience Store and Gas Station was looking over the books and doing the audits when they reportedly noticed a huge discrepancy in the numbers. It was reported that the business has an inventory process where they check the amount of money entered at the pumps against the amount of gas paid for. The manager found many transactions where money entered at the pumps was not accounted for, and they began investigating the situation.

According to reports, the situation was traced back several years, and between May 2023 and February 2024, it was found that approximately $20,000 was missing. After checking with the company that monitors the pumps, the management began to suspect the money had been stolen.

Continue reading →

Published on: June 9, 2024

Passenger Tracked Missing Bag to Airport Employee’s Home

by Staycie R. Sena

A Florida airport employee was arrested after a woman whose luggage went missing was led to his address when her Apple Watch sent her a notification and she tracked its location.

Recently, a woman took a Spirit Airlines flight out of New York to return to her residence in Florida. She had a small travel suitcase with her that she typically takes on the plane as a carry-on item, and it held her laptop computer, Apple electronics, and personal belongings. The woman was asked to check the bag before boarding, and she took the necessary steps to do so.

When the plane landed at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the woman went to the luggage carousel with the other passengers. The woman waited approximately two hours without any sign of her suitcase. After talking to the Spirit Airlines employees, they told her they were mailing the bag to her residence.

Continue reading →