Arnold Police are seeking felony stealing charges against a 31-year-old Imperial man who recently was arrested in connection with three shoplifting incidents at Arnold stores, says Capt. Robert Ruckman.
The man is a persistent offender, Ruckman said.
At about 5:20 p.m. Aug. 8, the suspect fraudulently returned merchandise at the Walmart Supercenter on Michigan Avenue in Arnold and got $139 in cash and then ran from the store, Arnold Police reported.
A short time later, police found him hiding in woods behind the store, and he was arrested.
He also was wanted in St. Louis on an outstanding warrant for stealing a motor vehicle, a felony, Ruckman said.
The man was booked and held for St. Louis authorities, the report said.
At about midnight the same day, after the suspect had been released pending application for warrants, he returned to the Walmart store and allegedly stole a security system valued at $349, according to the report.
The man was identified as a suspect in that theft and entered as wanted, the report said.
Then, at about noon on Aug. 12, Arnold Police got a call about a suspicious person at the Target store on Vogel Road and found the suspect there. He was arrested for allegedly stealing the security equipment on Aug. 8 at Walmart, the report said.
During the arrest, officers allegedly found the man with suspicious property and learned it had been stolen just a few minutes earlier at the Home Depot store on Vogel Road. So, the suspect was arrested for that theft, too, according to the report.
Arnold Police will seek felony charges against him through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
As of Thursday (Aug. 20), however, no charges had been filed, Ruckman said.