Arnold Police arrested a man and woman, both 19 years old from Des Moines, Iowa, after allegedly stopping the pair from completing a scam involving video game systems. The pair are suspected of operating the scam at Walmart locations throughout the St. Louis area, police reported.
Officers were called at about 10:15 a.m. Nov. 7 to the Walmart store, 2201 Michigan Ave., when the man and woman were trying to return video game systems. Store employees noticed the machines were missing internal parts, the report said.
Investigators discovered the pair had been purchasing video game systems at Walmart stores, removing parts and then going to different Walmart locations to get full refunds for the systems that were missing parts. Investigators believe the pair performed the scam at stores in the St. Louis area and suspect they also may have returned video game systems with missing parts at stores in other states, according to the report.
Officers allegedly found computer hardware parts inside a 2013 Ford Escape that the man and woman had driven to the store, the report said.
The man and woman were taken to the Police Station, where they were booked and released pending the application for warrants, according to the report.
Arnold Police were still investigating the case as of Nov. 13 and had not determined what charges may be sought, Detective Lt. Jeremy Christopher said. He also said the value of the stolen items was not known, but investigators believe the pair has stolen more than $750 worth of items, which may lead to felony stealing charges.