Sledgehammers, cans of pepper spray and less than one minute - four professional crooks swipe $100,000 of jewelry in broad daylight from a San Carlos store Tuesday The men, clad in orange-and-black masks, stormed the Home Consignment Center at about noon and smashed the cases in the San Francisco area. "The only thing that was heard was when one of them yelled three times, ‘Time! Time! Time!’” said sales associate Tom Stout, adding that the man who spoke was the getaway driver. The four men -- described only as white males about 20 years old with tall, thin builds -- could be connected with incidents at two other Home Consignment Center stores in the Bay Area that were robbed during the past two years. "We think it's the same folks," he said. "The style of robbery is the same." (Source sfexaminer.com)


Alleged Spokane theft ring busted for stealing TVs The Spokane Police Department believes it stopped an alleged theft ring responsible for thousands of dollars in stolen property with the arrest of four suspects. Police began receiving reports of stolen LCD TV’s from local Kmart, Walmart and Rite Aid locations a few weeks ago. In each case, the suspects would flee in a black Honda Civic. The break in the case came after a theft at a Shadle Park Rite Aid on Sunday. The clerk told police two men walked out of the store with a TV around 4 p.m. An officer patrolling nearby spotted the Civic near Rockwell and Stevens. (Source krem.com)

Woman ring leader of ORC gang busted hitting Target stores in Houston for thousands in baby formula A woman suspected of being the ringleader of a large group of thieves stole thousands of dollars worth of baby formula from Houston area Target stores, according to Houston police. Laagunettar Dawn Wilhite, 33, was charged with organized retail theft. Police said more suspects are expected to be charged in the future. (Source khou.com)

Former State Department employee pleads guilty in an identity theft scheme that led to illegal transactions with credit cards Working in the Passport Office, 26-year-old Rodney Quarles accessed the files of at least 700 people, court papers said. Working with a co-conspirator, a mail sorter for the U.S. Postal Service stole credit cards from envelopes, and the names on these cards were passed along to Quarles. Using his position at the State Department, Quarles used the agency's database to retrieve personal information to activate the credit card accounts. The identity theft ring stole credit cards and used them to obtain about $72,000 worth of ATM withdrawals, jewelry, electronics, gift cards and designer clothing. (Source privateofficerbreakingnews.com)