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Shoplifting suspect arrested at D.I., accused of removing tag
By Nancy Heiner
LOGAN -- A Brigham City man was arrested at Deseret Industries this week for a unique kind of shoplifting. Juan Ventura, 26, was arrested on suspicion of removing the price tag from a pair of earphones. They were attached to a Walk-man, which he did buy, and there was an untagged tape inside as well. Ventura will be go before the court Dec. 23, said Logan police Sgt. Russ Roper. Deseret Industries security guard Joe Barnard said price-tag switching and removing is common at D.I., along with the more traditional form of shoplifting. The plain-clothes guards catch shoplifters by patrolling the aisles or watching security camera footage. When a suspect leaves the store with stolen merchandise, the guards discreetly take the person to a back room and put them under arrest, Barnard said. Deseret Industries guards fill out a contract with the suspect, forbidding him or her to enter the store again for six months or a year. "That's our wake up call," he said. Barnard said other stores bar shoplifters for life, but D.I. gives people a second chance. "We're here to help people, and that's really the whole purpose of the store." Barnard said guards have caught 100 shoplifters this year. He said people are often surprised that the store has such a problem with theft because it is a thrift store and because it is church affiliated. Barnard said he didn't work at D.I. last Christmas season, but his supervisors told him about the amount of shoplifting that took place then. "It was fairly busy as far as shop-lifting; this Christmas has not been as much. I hope it's the spirit of Christmas."
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Archived Months:
September
1998 |
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