TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A very busy shoplifter is out of circulation now—-in Arizona prison for eight years after pulling a long string of thefts.
Shoplifting is a crime that can steal from everyone who makes an honest purchase.
Sooner or later most people end up in a WalMart. Prosecutors will tell you that goes for thieves too. We have the story of a man who prosecutors say hit 22 Walmarts in seven Arizona counties.
The case of Alexander Moreno Dantzler says something about organized retail theft.
Prosecutors with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office say he shoplifted at Walmarts across Arizona.
Usually, small, high value items like video game consoles and video games.
Now Dantzler is sentenced to eight years in prison and he’s under court order to repay Walmart $140,000.
Shoplifting can fuel its own shadow economy.
Josh Jacobsen of the Tucson Crime Free Coalition says in some cases homeless people will be given lists of items to steal and trade on the streets for money, drugs or both.
“Some of the most stolen items are household items, like Tide Pods, toothpaste, makeup is a huge one. We know there's a lot of theft going on in the big box makeup stores. Why? Because in down economies they have high retail value on the street to be resold, or on the internet to be resold.”
Some shoplifters go big, like refrigerator-sized. Tucson Police arrested a man a few months ago who they say would buy a small item at Home Depot, then flash the receipt for that item as he rolled out the door with appliances and other big items.
And every time a thief steals from a store, they reach into your pocket.
Jacobsen says, “Whenever you go into a big box store and you see a security guard standing there, that person, that's an $80,000 a year expenditure for one person that works 40 hours a week. In addition, we all see that the merchandise is now locked up behind cabinets, you have to get an associate, as well as the extra theft prevention measures when you leave the store. All of those items, they cost a lot of money for the retailers, and when their costs go up, the costs of goods and services go up, so we're all paying for it.”
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
