Peoria man accused of stealing 76 car batteries from Wal-Mart
A man caught with 76 car batteries in the bed of his truck admitted he stole them from a Surprise Wal-Mart with help from his 14-year-old nephew. kpho.com

Two Former Advanced Auto Parts Employees plead guilty in $200,000 theft of merchandise  Two former employees of a McDuffie County auto parts warehouse pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to steal parts estimated at $120,000 to $200,000. Joseph Battaglia, 38, and Jamaal Bradley, 27, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court. Sentencing dates will be set once pre-sentencing investigations are completed. Battaglia and Bradley were employed at the Advance Auto warehouse in Thomson where a series of thefts that occurred from May 2012 through January 2014 was uncovered by the company's loss prevention manager, said FBI Special Agent Paul Kubala. An investigation revealed that Bradley and other employees were taking diesel fuel injectors and other small parts and sneaking them out of the warehouse by concealing them in clothing, Kubala said. The items were funneled to Battaglia who filed down the serial numbers on the parts, and put them up on eBay for sale. He handled the packaging, collected the payments and divided the proceeds with the others, Kubala said. The fuel injectors, fairly expensive items, were sold for $480 on eBay, Kubala said. The estimated value of the thefts was determined by the number of items sold and the prices paid by buyers in Texas, Utah and California. augusta.com

Home Depot Employee in Niagara Falls, NY accused of helping a friend to steal over $6000 worth of merchandise  A Home Depot employee will face felony charges for allegedly ringing up only part of another employee's purchases over a nine month period. The loss was estimated at $6,000. Akilah Grantsmith, 36, was charged Monday with third-degree grand larceny following an investigation by her employer. The other employee did not show up for work and a warrant was issued for his arrest on similar charges. Store security told police that between July 20 and April 10, on 18 separate occasions, Grantsmith had been seen on security footage ringing up only three or four items when there were 10 to 20 items in the cart. Grantsmith gave a written statement to her employer when she was confronted. buffalonews.com

Sheriff says indictments could come next week in Pappy Van Winkle bourbon theft  It's a case that has made international headlines -- and next week, new information in the Pappy Van Winkle bourbon heist is set to be released. Nearly 200 bottles of the rare bourbon was stolen in October 2013, and Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton recently told WLEX-TV in Lexington that the theft case is bigger than anyone anticipated. Gilbert Curtsinger was arrested last month after five stolen barrels of bourbon from Wild Turkey Distillery, along with steroids and guns, were found at his home. Curtsinger worked at Buffalo Trace Distillery, where Pappy was made, the story said. WLEX-TV says Franklin County deputies have found bottles of Pappy linked to Curtsinger, and that facts point to an organized theft ring between two distilleries' employees. bizjournals.com