APEX Conference Wrap-Up

3 days of captivating sessions, hands-on experiences, and relationship-building moments

The Asset Protection Executive Xchange (APEX) is a hallmark retail conference in the industry, priding itself on being both collaborative and interactive. Designed to weave industry executives into a cohesive tapestry of ideas, the annual APEX Retail Conference once again promoted the exchange of knowledge, experience, and served as a nexus for strengthening the bonds within the retail community.

Retail loss prevention, safety, and risk professionals convened in Music City for the APEX event's 4th annual conference at the Downtown Renaissance and Convention Center, running from September 12 - 15. APEX Retail hosted over 50% more attendees compared to the prior year, and the Solution Provider sponsors who attended provided exceptional interactive knowledge and support.

This year, the conference was a major success and centered around the overarching message that every attendee is a corporate athlete. The emphasis was on building mental fortitude, teaching endurance, and fostering flexibility, especially during crises. A mentally, emotionally, and spiritually resilient leader is poised to deliver superior performances, brimming with passion - the essential formula for this year's theme: GAME ON!
Attendees enjoyed 3 days of captivating sessions, hands-on experiences, and relationship-building moments, underscoring how imperative it is to stay at the forefront in our ever-changing industry landscape. Key topics included:

• State of the Industry & Retail Economy: A deep dive into current market trends, challenges, and predictions for the future.

• Life-Safety Planning: Strategies and protocols for ensuring safety and minimizing risks.

• De-escalation: Techniques and training methods to manage and mitigate confrontations.

• Comprehensive Tech Solutions: An exploration of the latest technological innovations aiding the retail sector.

• Working the Worst Stores: A design-thinking workshop aimed at devising strategies for extreme store scenarios.

The APEX Retail Conference also stood as a beacon for executive leaders striving to transcend the challenges of today's retail landscape. Addressing the imperative of anticipating risks, the event curated a set of discussions around strategizing in the face of adversity and championing leadership roles. The major takeaways encapsulate these vital strategies, providing a roadmap for executives to lead with foresight and resilience:

• Executive Leadership: John Beede, global adventurer, shared insights on leading among life-changing obstacles.

• Organizational Risks: John Franchi, former CIA and international affairs expert and Michael Sherwin, former US Attorney, delved deep into recognizing and navigating the myriad of risks, both global and domestic, inherent to organizations.

• Legislation: Raul Aguilar, Deputy Assistant Director, Transnational Organized Crime (HSI) and Ben Dugan, Executive Director at CVS Health discussed the pivotal role of retailers within the framework of the INFORM Act.

The APEX Retail Conference, already a tour de force in delivering valuable insights, took the excitement up a notch with not one, but TWO surprise keynote speakers. These distinguished leaders energized the atmosphere with their riveting messages. With their powerful narratives, they galvanized attendees, echoing the conference's spirit of GAME ON! Their messages served as a clarion call, inspiring every attendee with a singular, resonating message: the drive and determination to WIN!
 

	Julius Thomas: This NFL Pro-bowler expounded on his "5 Keys to Performance" and introduced the "3 Buckets of Wellness" techniques. These concepts pave the way for individuals to scale their peak potential. His mantra encompassed Commitment, Discipline, Guidance, Quality Support, Resilience, and a trinity of robust mental, physical, and emotional health.
	Emmitt Smith: The NFL Hall of Fame legend himself delivered a galvanizing talk, focusing on the tenets of Winning, Discipline, and Leadership. His words resonated deeply, inspiring the attendees and leaving an indelible mark on their spirits.

The APEX Retail Conference has once again delivered the premier event for retail asset protection executives. It's not just about networking or learning, but also about growing together and redefining the paradigms of the retail world. Until next year, GAME ON!

APEX 2024 Save the Date: September 22-25!
 

Supermarkets, Department Stores & C-Stores Top Targets for UK Theft
UK: Convenience is the third highest retail sector for theft, data shows

Money.co.uk shop insurance experts have extracted crime data for England & Wales to see which retail sectors have been the worst victims of shop theft.

The table below shows the number of shoplifting crimes (top 10) recorded between August 2020 and July 2023.

Supermarkets show the highest number of shoplifting crimes, followed by department and convenience stores. Data, analysed by the BBC, shows shoplifting offences have returned to pre-pandemic levels as the cost of living rises.

A spokesperson for Waitrose, said that while it could not "speculate on the reasons", it was seeing "rising numbers of shoplifting offences - often by organised gangs as well as anti-social behaviour". It makes sense that convenience stores are also in the top three, with these including off-licenses and newsagents selling food and drink items.

Co-op, who recently announced that it is using undercover security guards to patrol aisles, is the retailer shoplifted from the most (15.3%)." talkingretail.com

In Case You Missed It: Read the D&D Daily's Special Report - 'Lawlessness on UK's High Streets'
 

'If they can't see it, they can't steal it'
Retailers turn to fog machines to create 'near-zero visibility' to stop theft
That's the philosophy behind a new security system that pumps dense fog into the air, trapping criminals and preventing them from carrying out after-hours smash-and-grab jobs that have put thousands of retailers across the country out of business.

The system, which ties into an existing alarm system or can be used as a stand-alone unit, pumps out a mixture of glycol and distilled water through a heating unit, creating a dry, dense white fog that generates a "near-zero visibility environment" that makes it impossible to see through in a matter of seconds, Mike Egel, president of DensityUSA, the master distributor for the fog generator in the United States, told the Washington Examiner.

"It's so dry that there is no residue," he said from a security summit in Dallas. "There's nothing to clean up. It's perfectly safe to breathe. It's perfectly safe for the assets of the business. It's perfectly safe for humans and pets."

If the fog generator is tied to an alarm, as soon as the alarm or motion detector trips, the fog deploys, taking just a few seconds to fill a 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot space, Egel said.

The company, which is in talks with major cellphone providers, already operates in seven states and counts large jewelry chains nationwide as clients. DensityUSA is pursuing more than 10,000 installations in the country. Its popularity is tied to the nationwide retail theft epidemic that cost retailers in the U.S. close to $100 billion in 2021.

Retailers, ranging from Nordstrom to local boutiques, have been forced to either raise their prices or shutter their shops altogether following a rash of crimes. Others have locked up their items in cases to curtail theft. But in some states like California, thieves have become so brazen that they have flipped off security cameras or made eye contact with shop owners as they strolled out of stores with stolen items. Larger retailers, fearing for the safety of their staff, have edicts in place that prevent them from going after lawbreakers, emboldening even more people from coming in and taking whatever they want. washingtonexaminer.com
 
   RELATED: Fog is the latest tool retailers are deploying to fight theft


San Francisco Citizens Call for 'More Police & Tougher Judges'
S.F. officials express frustration as they vow to make streets safer for public
Supervisor Matt Dorsey, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and other San Francisco officials struck a cautiously optimistic tone on Monday evening while fielding residents' questions on crime, homelessness and open-air drug dealing, laying out an array of law enforcement plans to combat the city's most urgent public safety concerns.

The officials met with a packed auditorium of lively and frustrated - but mostly receptive - San Franciscans at a public safety town hall at the Strand theater in the city's South of Market neighborhood, where calls for more police and tougher judges earned repeated rounds of applause.

"We have created a culture, not just in San Francisco but quite frankly around the country, that people (believe you can) walk into a store, take what you want and walk out, while the rest of us stand there waiting to pay," Jenkins said.

City Attorney David Chiu vowed maximum resources to fight a federal court injunction that limits the city's ability to clear homeless encampments; and San Francisco Police Capt. Luke Martin said he'd look into a resident's concerns about police response times. sfchronicle.com


Crime Closures Continue to Hit California Cities
Popular Oakland restaurant closing September 30 says crime is to blame
A popular downtown Oakland restaurant will be shutting down at the end of the month. Le Cheval, at the corner of Clay and Tenth Streets, is considered by many as an Oakland institution. The owner, Son Tran, doesn't blame the pandemic for their closure. Instead, he said the crime is what's killing his business.

"I've been coming here for about 10 years. And my heart hurts. There's a lot of businesses, not just this one, but a lot of businesses are closing down. And it's sad," said customer Robin Andrews. Tran said Le Cheval is shutting down on Saturday, Sept. 30.

He laid off workers, cut back on restaurant hours, and even closed down on Sundays to try to avoid permanent closure. But he can no longer push forward. He said business is at about 25 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

While there've been repeated break-ins at the restaurant, the most recent being three months ago, he blames auto burglaries and violent crime for the shutdown. Some customers were even robbed at gunpoint. cbsnews.com


First Weekend Since January Without a Homicide in Chicago
The good news came amid a heightened police focus on downtown

22 people shot, but no weekend homicides in Chicago

It was the second weekend this year without a homicide in Chicago; the other was the last weekend of January.

Last weekend was one of Chicago's least violent this year despite a heightened police focus on downtown as thousands paraded in the city to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. Zero homicides were reported over the weekend, although at least 22 people were wounded - four of them critically - in shootings between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday, according to Chicago police.

It was the second weekend this year without a homicide in the city. The other was the last weekend of January, according to Sun-Times data. This weekend was a stark contrast to the Mexican Independence Day weekend a year ago, when nine people were killed and 54 were wounded.

The lack of homicides came on a weekend when thousands of people crowded the downtown for celebration. Like other holiday weekends, police traditionally increase patrols and move resources from neighborhoods to downtown districts. chicago.suntimes.com


Minneapolis PD's staffing reaches lowest level in 40 years amid recruitment, retention struggles
With 585 sworn officers, the department hovers just above that of the St. Paul police department, an agency that serves roughly 120,000 fewer residents. That decline means Minneapolis holds among the lowest ratio of police officers to population served out of 22 sampled American cities, according to a Star Tribune analysis.

Only Portland had a lower officer-to-resident ratio by the end of 2022 with 1.3 officers per 1,000 residents, compared to 1.4 in Minneapolis. That's significantly lower than the national average of 2.4.

Every police department in the country is competing for the same ever-shrinking pool of candidates. Some, like Alameda, Calif. are offering $75,000 signing bonuses to help fill critical vacancies. In Minnesota, even small suburban agencies are dangling $2,000 to $10,000 to incentivize lateral transfers and new recruits. police1.com


Oakland considers new measure to fight crime as police chief search continues

Tourist hot spot takes emergency action after nightclub grenade attack, crime wave

Two Internal Threat DOJ Cases

1. Internal Threat & #1 Authorized Reseller Orchestrates $88M IP Theft & "Cornered the Market"
Originally reported in the Daily Aug. 18th, 2023 - Business Owner & Ring Leader Jason Hines Pleads Guilty

Update Sept. 19, 2023:

Computer System Administrator & Spouse Plead Guilty in Massive Scheme to Sell $88M in Pirated Business Telephone System Software Licenses
A computer system administrator and his spouse pleaded guilty today to participating in a massive international scheme to make millions of dollars by selling pirated business telephone system software licenses. The entire scheme allegedly resulted in the sale of software licenses with a retail value of over $88 million.

According to court documents, Raymond Bradley Pearce, aka Brad Pearce, 48, and Dusti O. Pearce, 45, both of Tuttle, Oklahoma, conspired with Jason M. Hines, aka Joe Brown, Chad Johnson, and Justin Albaum, 43, of Caldwell, New Jersey, to commit wire fraud in a scheme that involved generating and then selling unauthorized Avaya Direct International (ADI) software licenses. The ADI software licenses were then used to unlock features of a popular telephone system used by thousands of companies around the globe. The ADI software licensing system has since been decommissioned.

Avaya Holdings Corporation, a multinational business communications company headquartered in California, sold a product called IP Office, a telephone system used by many midsize and small businesses in the United States and abroad.

Brad Pearce, a long-time customer service employee at Avaya, used his system administrator privileges to generate tens of thousands of ADI software license keys that he sold to Hines and other customers, who in turn sold them to resellers and end users around the globe. The retail value of each Avaya software license ranged from under $100 to thousands of dollars. Dusti Pearce handled accounting for the illegal business. Hines was by far the Pearces' largest customer - buying over 55% of the stolen licenses - and significantly influenced how the scheme operated. Hines operated Direct Business Services International (DBSI), a de-authorized Avaya reseller, in New Jersey.

Brad Pearce and Dusti Pearce pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They both face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Brad Pearce and Dusti Pearce must forfeit a money judgment of at least $4 million as well as cash, gold, silver, collectible coins, cryptocurrency, and a vehicle. They must also make full restitution to their victims. justice.gov


2. Men's Warehouse VP of Facilities Gets 22 Months For $1.7M Fake Invoice Scheme
DOJ: Danville Woman Sentenced To 22 Months In Federal Prison For Embezzling $1.7 Million From Public Company

Former Vice President of Construction, Maintenance, and Facilities at Tailored Brands invented fake vendor and submitted false invoices over eight-year period

OAKLAND - Gina Suzanne Lonestar was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison in connection with a wire fraud scheme pursuant to which she embezzled over $1.7 million from her former employer.

Lonestar, 52, of Danville, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charge on May 19, 2023. According to her plea agreement, Lonestar admitted that, in December 2010, she devised a scheme to create a fake vendor to defraud Men's Wearhouse and later Tailored Brands (Men's Wearhouse's parent company) of money by submitting and approving false invoices for the fake vendor to the accounts payable department. Lonestar created a document stating the vendor was a sole proprietorship associated with a family member and then began submitting and approving invoices falsely claiming the vendor was performing work at Men's Wearhouse stores throughout California, such as inspections and handyman work. Lonestar admitted that she submitted and approved false invoices in the name of the fake vendor for approximately eight years, defrauding her employer of over $1.7 million, which was paid to her joint checking account. Lonestar admitted that the vendor did not exist and the family member with whom she co-owed the company performed none of the work for which she provided invoices.

In addition to the 22-month sentence, Judge Tigar ordered Lonestar to pay a $1,736,216 forfeiture money judgment and to serve three years of supervised release which will begin after she leaves prison. Judge Tigar ordered that Lonestar begin serving her sentence on January 5, 2024. In addition, Judge Tigar scheduled a hearing for December 1, 2023, to determine issues regarding restitution. justice.gov

 

Risk Managers & Business Continuity & Emergency Operations Centers Take Notice

California tops FEMA's new list of areas vulnerable to weather disasters

'Resilience zones' will receive funding to prepare for flooding, fires, heat waves

Despite the name, "Community Disaster Resilience Zones" are not local havens capable of withstanding storms and other extreme weather. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA, is spending billions in hopes that they can be.

The agency has identified nearly 500 such "zones," swaths of land generally covering several miles that are ill-prepared to tolerate flooding, earthquakes, heat waves, wildfires, landslides and other natural hazards.

California topped all states in FEMA's new plan, with 51 total zones - including seven census tracts in the Bay Area - followed by 35 in Texas and 32 in Florida. mercurynews.com


Insurance premiums could surge in these U.S. cities because of climate disasters, new data shows
Nearly 7 million properties, almost 1 in 20 buildings, have already experienced price surges or have been dropped by insurance companies, First Street found. The majority of those properties are located either in wildfire and flood-prone California, or hurricane-prone Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

Every property in more than 1 in 10 American cities is at risk of premium spikes because of climate disasters, according to an analysis of the First Street data. These include places in states where insurers have already started to pull out, including Miami, Jacksonville and New Orleans.

Properties in 4 out of 5 cities in the Lower 48 are vulnerable to rate hikes, including more than 25% of properties in New York City and Phoenix. mercurynews.com
 

From 'Just Walk Out' to 'Just Wear Out'
Amazon Brings 'Just Walk Out' Tech to Apparel Retailers
The retail giant on Tuesday (Sept. 19) announced an expansion of its Just Walk Out technology - its checkout-free shopping tool - upgrading an offering first designed for items like food and beverages and applying it to apparel sellers.

Shoppers want to see clothing on hangers, feel the fabric and try them on, and may also possibly put them back on other shelves.

But with the addition of radio-frequency identification (RFID), customers can now "grab clothes, hats, shoes, and more - and simply walk out of the store through an exit gate (even while wearing their purchases) by tapping their credit or debit card, or hovering their palm over an Amazon One palm recognition device," Jenkins said.

Amazon says it piloted the system at Climate Pledge Arena, home to the Seattle Kraken hockey team, earlier this year. Seeing success, the company is expanding the program to Lumen Field, where Seattle's Seahawks play, for the 2023-2024 football season. pymnts.com


138K Combined Holiday Hires
Target, Macy's announce seasonal hiring plans

Target plans to hire nearly 100,000 workers for the holidays, about the same as past years, while Macy's is aiming to bring on about 38,000.

Target on Tuesday announced plans to hire nearly 100,000 seasonal employees, which is the same number the retailer has aimed for in the past few years. The big-box retailer already employs more than 400,000 people, according to an announcement on its holiday hiring plans.

Macy's on Monday released its own hiring plans, aiming to fill more than 38,000 full- and part-time positions this season. That's down from the 41,000 last year, though the department store said its hiring plans are "consistent with open positions in 2022."

Applications at Target will be available online starting Wednesday. Macy's will accept applications online as well as at two nationwide in-person hiring events this fall. retaildive.com


Chicago mayor OKs compromise giving restaurants 5 years to phase in higher pay for tipped workers

Choice Market applies frictionless data to store planning

Putting New SEC Cyber Disclosure Rules to the Test

One of the First Large U.S. Companies to File New Cyberattack Disclosure
Clorox Cyberattack Brings Early Test of New SEC Cyber Rules

Company's eight disclosures to date show how figuring material impact of a cyberattack is unfamiliar ground, legal and cyber experts say

A cyberattack on cleaning-products maker Clorox is providing an early test for new rules on disclosing cyberattacks, in a case that is being closely watched by business leaders.

Clorox is one of the first large U.S. companies to suffer a cyberattack since the Securities and Exchange Commission's rigorous new cybersecurity rules went into effect Sept. 5.

Since an initial notice posted on its website and one filed with the SEC on Aug. 14, Clorox has issued six more, including another 8-K filing, each adding details about operational disruptions as the episode unfolds. The company said the financial impact is still unknown.

Clorox's string of bulletins over more than four weeks shows how determining the material impact of a cyberattack is unfamiliar ground for companies. Such decisions can take longer than assessments of more common material events, such an executive departure, said Andrew Heighington, chief information security officer and head of technology and privacy at software provider Visit.org.

Heighington said. "A stream of 8-Ks will be the new norm," he said. Most public companies will be required to report significant hacks to the SEC in an 8-K form starting Dec. 18. wsj.com


Companies Differ in How to Disclose Cyber Incidents
MGM, Caesars Face Regulatory, Legal Maze After Cyber Incidents

MGM and Caesars are putting new SEC incident disclosure regulations to a real-world test in the aftermath of twin cyberattacks on the casinos, as class-action lawsuits loom.

In the wake of the new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulatory requirements to disclose "material" cyber incidents within four days of discovery, the dual cyber breaches of MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment have demonstrated how differently those rules can be interpreted.

Both breaches resulted from abuse of an Okta Agent, and both were reportedly carried out by the same ransomware threat actor. Both occurred within days of one another. But how each organization handled the new SEC disclosure rules was distinct.

Caesars filed its disclosure, SEC form 8-K, on Sept. 14. It was filled with details about the nature and scope of the cyberattack, including the use of a social engineering attack on an outsourced IT support vendor. However, the disclosure added that the incident was discovered on Sept. 7, outside the SEC established four-day deadline to report.

MGM Resorts was more prompt in its disclosure, filing within the four-day window on Sept. 12 but didn't include any details about the compromise beyond what it had already laid out in an initial press release. darkreading.com


High-Business-Impact Outages
Critical business app outages cost $500,000 per hour of downtime
32% of respondents said critical business app outages cost more than $500,000 per hour of downtime. Respondents report a median annual outage cost of $7.75 million, those with full-stack observability experience a median outage cost 59% lower than those without full-stack observability.

While most organizations still don't monitor their full tech stack, this is changing. Full-stack observability increased 58% YoY. By mid-2026, at least 82% of respondents expected to deploy each of the 17 different observability capabilities.

High-business-impact outages are incredibly expensive for today's organizations," said Peter Pezaris, Chief Strategy and Design Officer at New Relic. "The report shows that teams with full-stack observability consistently have fewer outages while detecting and resolving issues faster than those without. This translates to lower outage costs, a higher annual return on investment, and a positive effect on an organization's bottom line. The business value of observability is clear."  helpnetsecurity.com


Avoiding domain security risks when taking your business online

When data falls into the wrong hands

DOJ: Husband And Wife Charged With Multimillion-Dollar Gift Card Fraud Scheme

Xuliang Hou, Yuna Lin, and Their Co-Conspirators Allegedly Tricked Victims into Purchasing Gift Cards That They Used to Purchase Millions of Dollars' Worth of Merchandise

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Ivan J. Arvelo, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI"), announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging XULIANG HOU and YUNA LIN with conspiring to commit wire fraud. HOU and LIN were arrested yesterday and will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer E. Willis.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: "For nearly two years, Xuliang Hou, 32, and Yuna Lin, 30, and their co‑conspirators allegedly engaged in a brazen scheme to obtain gift card information from their victims through lies. As alleged, they used those gift cards to purchase millions of dollars' worth of products, including electronic devices. Thanks to the skillful investigative work of HSI and the dedication of the prosecutors of this Office, the defendants' alleged scheme will be put to an end."

From July 2020 through at least May 2022, XULIANG HOU and YUNA LIN carried out a scheme in which victims were induced, under false pretenses, to purchase gift cards redeemable at certain stores. The scheme's perpetrators used those cards to purchase millions of dollars' worth of various products, including electronic devices.

HOU, 32, and LIN, 30, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. justice.gov


Los Angeles, CA: 9 arrested in organized retail theft operation
Nine people accused of being part of an "organized retail theft crew" were arrested last week in Leimert Park after detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department partnered with a local business to conduct a loss prevention operation, authorities announced Tuesday. The operation unfolded on Sept. 14 in the 3700 block of Crenshaw Boulevard, according to an LAPD news release. Burglary detectives recovered a large assortment of stolen over-the-counter pharmaceutical products from two local businesses hidden inside of a U-Haul truck the suspects were using, 37 grams of methamphetamine and U.S. currency police believe was obtained from the illegal sale of the stolen pharmaceuticals. Of the nine arrests made, two were for felony organized crime theft crew, one for an outstanding felony arrest warrant, four were repeat shoplifting offenders and two other suspects who were cited for shoplifting and released from custody, the release stated.  yahoo.com


DOJ: Tampa Man Sentenced To More Than 13 Years For Conspiracy To Commit Robbery And Armed Robberies Of Auto Parts Stores In Tampa
Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Steve Jackson (41, Tampa) to 13 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Jackson had pleaded guilty on June 23, 2023. His codefendant, Antonio Brown, previously pleaded guilty and is pending sentencing.

According to court documents, on August 29, 2021, Jackson and Brown robbed two auto parts stores in Tampa carrying firearms and wearing surgical masks as they entered the stores. They brandished their firearms, demanded money from store employees, and stole approximately $1,400 from the cash registers. justice.gov


Berkeley, CA: Thieves use car to smash into Berkeley lululemon store
A popular activewear store was burglarized in Berkeley after thieves backed a vehicle into the store Tuesday morning. The crime happened at a lululemon store situated at 1901 4th and Hearst streets. A store security guard, who requested to remain anonymous, said that he was inside the lululemon store when a loud noise startled him. "This big boom, and then this door came down and all these people started hopping out," he said. The suspects deliberately reversed their vehicle into the store, shattering the glass entrance. The guard reported that six people, all wearing black hoodies and masks, exited the vehicle and proceeded to ransack the store. The suspects stuffed the stolen merchandise into both the backseat and trunk of their vehicle, according to the guard.   ktvu.com


San Antonio, TX: Bay Area Bicycles loses bikes worth thousands to break-in
A longtime Coastal Bend bike store suffered an expensive early morning robbery. Around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, three thieves broke into Bay Area Bicycles by throwing a brick through the window, making off with three bikes. The robbery and getaway was caught on the store's security camera. Bay Area Bicycles owner David Pena said that all together, the bikes cost approximately $25,000. "They (the thieves) came in the store and immediately grabbed the most expensive bikes in the store, so it's kind of an off coincidence that they did that unknowingly," Pena said. "One of these bikes was a custom bike so it would be nice to get that back, those are harder to come by."  kristv.com


Man accused of stealing over $8,000 from Centralia Nike store, up to $50,000 total at other location
Bail has been set at $50,000 for a Tacoma man accused of stealing over $8,000 in merchandise from the Nike outlet store in Centralia between July 9 and Sept. 17. The suspect, identified as Roy Lynn Brown, 42, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at about 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17, after officers with the Centralia Police Department stopped Brown's vehicle as it was fleeing the outlet store's parking lot in the 100 block of West High Street. Brown was arrested alongside an "accomplice," who was not facing charges related to the thefts in Lewis County Superior Court as of Monday, Sept. 18. Brown is accused of shoplifting merchandise from the Nike outlet in Centralia eight times since July 2023: on July 9, July 10, July 11, July 13, Aug. 1, Aug. 2, Sept. 6 and Sept. 17, according to court documents. On each occasion, Brown allegedly stole between $805 and $2,779 worth of merchandise by selecting boxes of footwear and apparel, placing them into shopping bags and trash bags then exiting the store without paying.   chronline.com


Leesburg, FL: Serial shoplifter already on probation sips stolen Coke and steals charger at Walmart
After speaking with Woolever, the officer was informed that she had four prior theft convictions dating back to Oct. 2011. She was also currently on active felony probation out of Lake County for the offense of petit theft (3rd conviction), which began on Aug. 23 and would be terminated on that date in 2027, the report said. Woolever was subsequently arrested on charge of retail theft (two or more prior). She was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $5,000.  leesburg-news.com