Since the beginning of October, the Logan City Police Department has logged 22 cases of shoplifting.
“It’s really been almost one case a day,” Logan City police officer, Lt. Rod Peterson said.
Items have been taken from a variety of stores including Wal-Mart and Kohl’s, Peterson said. In most cases, store security detained the person and retrieved the stolen item before calling the police to handle the legal matters.
In Utah, shoplifting is considered a Class B misdemeanor, punishable with up to six months in jail and a $1000 fine. The monetary value of the stolen item is considered when charging a shoplifter.
Apparel stores are not the only targets for shoplifting. Furniture stores like RC Willey have experienced theft. Video games and small electronics are the most common item taken from the franchise, but larger items have been stolen as well.
“We have a big problem with people purchasing things with bad checks,” RC Willey manager Eddie Martinez said. “They buy the item with a bounced check and then try to go out and re-sell it.”
Shoplifting wasn’t about filling a need, but something Derek Pundt, a former shoplifter, did for excitement.
“It’s not that you need what you’re stealing, it’s the rush of it. Every time I shoplifted I had money,” Pundt said.
While theft is a year-round occurrence, stores report more problems during busier shopping times.
“When it’s busy, you can’t watch everyone,” Ross Dress for Less associate Megan Piper said. “It’d be easy for someone to take something and not be noticed.”
Small items are not the only things taken when employees are distracted.
“Someone tried to steal a couch once,” Martinez said. “We had an open warehouse sale and while I was helping another customer, two guys tried to haul the couch out. When I yelled at them, they dropped it and ran away.”
Edited by D. Quire
