You might find this hard to believe, but some places in the country are actually prosecuting the organized shoplifters plaguing retailers.
For example, a pair in Parker, Colorado, known as the KitchenAid Crew just went to trial over their shoplifting spree stealing, well, you can guess.
Michael Green, 50, and Byron Bolden, 37 were both convicted for felony retail theft.
The documented value of the items stolen was $2,094.98, and a sixth-degree felony theft charge in Colorado includes a total value between $2,000 and $5,000.
Since it was just $94.98 that separated the pair from a felony and a misdemeanor, their lawyer tried to argue the charge down because the merchandise they stole could have been bought for less than the documented value on sale and with coupons for store discounts.
(You know times are tough when even the shoplifters are hitting the sales and using coupons.)
Luckily, the District Attorney in Douglas County is John Kellner, who beat out George Soros-backed Amy Padden in the last election.
Kellner said,
Just because an item is ‘on sale' doesn't mean it's free to steal, and these defendants now get to think about this lesson in jail and prison. Retailers in our community are fed up with theft and my office will actively prosecute these offenders.
In the end, the judge agreed that sales and coupons were only applicable to "paying customers," so the documented value kept the charges over $2,000.
Green was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Bolden was sentenced to 90 days in jail with credit for time served as a condition of 18 months of probation.
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