The Broward Sheriff's Office has caught what it believes to be a serial toy bandit -- a 34-year-old man who lives in South Miami-Dade and has allegedly confessed to some 300 thefts. His ingenious method? Altering the bar codes on toy packages. Here's the description of his capture, courtesy BSO press release.
The toy thief caught the attention of a Walmart loss prevention employee as he strolled through the isles of the retailer in Lauderdale Lakes Monday (5/18/09) afternoon. The suspect, 34-year-old Max Rodriguez, had six boxes of the same Lego toy, worth $62 each. The Walmart employee decided to keep a close eye on the man and trailed him as walked through some lonely isles and then headed for the register. After the suspect paid for the toys, the employee checked with the cashier for the total of the man's purchase and confirmed his suspicions when the entire tab amounted to only $44.46, a savings of $330. The employee quickly stopped Rodriguez as he was exiting the store and asked him to return for questioning.Now wait a second. If a guy's bringing $330 in merchandise to the register but only paying $44, doesn't a cashier flag this guy? Or at least call a manager? You know, at least once out of 299 times?
