More Retail Crime Busts as Legislation Tightens
Retail crimesters may not be shying away from stealing stock, but law enforcement nationwide has continued to crack down on crime ring participants.
Several states’ legislators have expressed their interest in decreasing retail crime rates through legislation, task forces, technology and increased budgets, citing rising crime, fearful retail employees and shoppers turning to online purchases rather than trekking into stores.
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As some of the laws begin to go into effect and others make their way through the states’ respective legislative processes, police have ramped up their efforts to splinter retail crime rings’ aspirations.
Florida
Florida police arrested six Georgia residents accused of stealing about $90,000 of merchandise from various big box retailers in Florida over the course of 18 months.
Those arrested have been accused of traveling from Georgia to Florida weekly to steal merchandise using self-checkout systems. Police said the suspects “made only partial payments before leaving stores with additional items.”
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), the six suspects are allegedly part of an organized retail theft ring responsible for over 70 separate retail thefts. Those incidents occurred at stores in eight different counties in Northeast Florida, police said.
Two of the suspects—Robert Thad Bryant III, 40, and Kimberly Michelle Thompson, 46, both of Kingsland, Georgia—will be prosecuted by the state of Florida under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Bryant also faces 49 counts of grand theft and seven counts of petit theft.
The four other arrested suspects each face at least one count of grand theft and at least one count of petit theft. Those suspects are Brian Lee Wallace, 42; Christopher Neal Coats, 41; Mary Lynn Corwin, 50, and Ryan Lee Mullis, 44. Wallace, Corwin and Mullis live in Kingsland, and Coats resides in St. Mary’s, Georgia.
FDLE Agent in Charge, Mike Williams, said retail crime continues to negatively impact the state’s economy.
“Organized retail theft is becoming increasingly common and impacts consumers with higher prices on the goods they buy. In Florida, FDLE agents fight this trend by making retail theft cases a priority and working to arrest all members of a criminal organization,” Williams said.
Ron DeSantis, the state’s governor, recently promised to tighten retail crime-related laws in the state to ensure criminals faced harsher penalties for retail theft, specifically in organized crime rings.
California
United States Marshals arrested Denayaha Duree, 22, of San Francisco, in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Valentine’s Day, police said. Duree allegedly stole merchandise from a mall in San Francisco in late January.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, Duree has previously been arrested in relation to organized retail theft. Police sought her arrest for the Jan. 29 theft, but also for two thefts that occurred at luxury stores in May 2023, the SFPD said.
Police said Duree’s charges will be solidified pending her extradition.
California leaders and politicians have been scrambling to solve the retail crime issue its cities face. One day after Duree’s arrest, several members of the California State Assembly put forth the California Retail Theft Reduction Act, which would punish retail crimesters found with stolen merchandise they intend to sell.
In late January, just days prior to the mall theft police allege Duree took part in, legislators introduced a bill into the California State Assembly that would revise the definitions outlined in Prop 47, in turn bringing harsher penalties against those who commit retail crime.
Oregon
Police in Eugene, Oregon, arrested 44-year-old Jason Weeks for alleged participation in organized retail crime, according to local news station KEZI 9.
Police reportedly arrested Weeks on charges of first-degree robbery and first-degree theft. Police said in October 2023, they responded to a Eugene Target after reports of a gas leak. Upon investigation, the officers discovered an explosive device placed in the store as a distraction from the alleged thievery.
Officials continued to investigate that case until the end of February, when Eugene police responded to what KEZI called a “dispute.” Officers identified one of the people in the dispute as Weeks, whom the department had been searching for in connection with an organized retail theft ring, KEZI reported.
??Police also arrested Bailey Eulene Miller, 25, and Antoine Danaebrown, 38, for their alleged connection to the Target theft, KEZI noted.
On Jan. 1, a new law went into effect in Oregon, which pledged harsher punishment for those pilfering from shelves in the state. Like a number of other states, including Washington, California and New York, state legislators expressed concern over the ways in which retail crime continues to affect business owners, retail store associates and consumer safety.