Judge rules against the former Master shoplifting Lego Bandit A Florida man reputed to be a master shoplifter failed Monday in a bid in DuPage County to suppress a police search of a rental car in which authorities say he stored stolen merchandise. Ignatius Pollara, 50, is awaiting trial on burglary charges on allegations that he stole some pencils and paintbrushes from a Lombard Hobby Lobby in July 2015, a theft police and prosecutors say capped several days of shoplifting from area shopping centers. After executing a search warrant on Pollara's rental SUV, police found a number of items that Pollara allegedly stole, reports state. However, his attorney had asked Judge Liam Brennan to toss that evidence, saying that technical deficiencies with the warrant undermined its legality. Assistant Public Defender Mark Lyon said the warrant failed to explicitly instruct officers to seize items of evidentiary value, an oversight that voided the warrant. But the Asst. State's Attorney argued that courts support a "realistic, common-sense" reading of search warrants, rather than a hyperspecific one. The judge agreed, saying it was obvious that the court that issued the warrant intended police to seize items judged to have evidentiary value. chicagotribune.com

Lititz, PA: $10,000 worth of Apple products stolen Target
Police are searching for two men who stole more than $10,000 in Apple products from a Lititz store Sunday night. The theft occurred at Target, 960 Lititz Pike, around 9:30 p.m. The men entered the store, which was open at the time, and retrieved shopping carts and storage containers. They went to the electronics department where they smashed a glass case and took all the Apple products, according to Northern Lancaster County Regional police. The stolen items are valued at $10,192. lancasteronline.com


Oxford, OH: Purse Thieves at TJ Maxx could be in a Crime Ring
Two women who stole thousands of dollars in expensive purses from a Butler County store might be part of a crime ring, police say. The women calmly walked away with more than $3,000 in Michael Kors purses from the T.J. Maxx in Oxford, and that could be the tip of the iceberg. Thieves have taken roughly $25,000 in loot from a number of stores in the last year or so. The women grabbed laundry baskets inside the store, put them in shopping carts and then just walked out, police said. The loss prevention officer at the store used to work worked at the T.J.Maxx in West Chester and said the same thing happened there last summer. West Chester police are not only investigating that but also theft cases from the Kohl's store. wcpo.com

Braintree, MA: Three Rhode Island men face charges for Macy's Robbery, Assault on Loss Prevention Agents
Police arrested three Providence, R.I. men on the afternoon of July 9 and charged them with receiving stolen property over $250 and resisting arrest after they allegedly stole more than $900 worth of merchandise from the Macy's store at South Shore Plaza and then attempted to flee. One of the loss prevention officers suffered a serious head laceration during a struggle with the men. Following the suspect being passed in custody by Police, a search of their vehicle revealed more than $1,800 worth of merchandise allegedly stolen from unknown stores, in addition to the merchandise allegedly stolen from Macy's. wickedlocal.com

Napa, CA: Kohl's Shoplifting results in hit-and-run
A reported shoplifting during the noon hour Saturday led to a hit-and-run in the Kohl's parking lot in downtown Napa, followed by a search that netted two arrests. Two fleeing adults ran over a pedestrian as they sped out of the store's parking lot. Napa Police quickly stopped the suspects. A Police search of the vehicle found hundreds of receipts, barcodes and stolen forged checks out of Vallejo. napavalleyregister.com

New Orleans, LA: Woman arrested for Shoplifting $860 worth of Fingernail Polish from CVS

Dubuque, IA: Iowa Police get help from Wisconsin to apprehend 3 fleeing shoplifters