For the second time this month, a computer was stolen from a Carson City Wal-Mart and surveillance footage have landed the thieves behind bars.
A Carson City couple face felony theft, burglary, and drug charges following the latest attempt to steal computer equipment. According to a deputy's report, on April 23 officers were dispatched to the Wal-Mart on Market Street for a grand larceny report. According to Wal-Mart security, sales staff was notified that at about 1:30 p.m. a Hewlett Packard Touch Start computer was missing from a store shelf. Security reviewed surveillance footage and discovered a man and a woman took the computer from the shelf and concealed it in a chair box.
The security officer told deputies the couple placed the computer in their basket at 12:48 p.m. The man and woman walked from the electronics department through the toy and sporting goods departments, ending up in the automotive department. The woman selected a pair of pliers from the hardware department and went back to the automotive area where the man was waiting with the computer.
The suspects left the automotive department and walked to the furniture areas where they took a rolling office chair which was still in the box and a blue plastic tote, according to the arrest report. The subjects returned to automotive section with all the items.
The subjects then took the office chair out of its box and concealed the computer box into the empty chair box and re-taped the box closed. The chair and blue tote were later discovered in the store. The woman left without any items through the east door and got into a black SUV and waited for the man near the entrance of the store. The man purchased the box, thought to contain an office chair, and left to meet the woman in the parking lot. The man put the box in the rear of the black SUV and they both left.
The security officer showed deputies two still surveillance photographs of the male and female. The arresting officer recognized the subjects from prior incidences. The HP Touch Smart was valued at $898.
Later that day, officers responded to the address on in the 1900 block of Marian Avenue where the male suspected was located and arrested. The subject declined to tell authorities where the woman was. Instead the man called the woman to encourage her to turn herself in. The woman refused.
The next day officers returned to the Marian street address and began a search, with permission by the male suspect, inside the unlocked areas of the home. Officers noticed that on the computer desk in the kitchen area was the keyboard from the stolen computer. In the attached garage was the black SUV bearing the same Nevada plates used in the commission of the felony.
Later on Saturday, officers obtained a search warrant for the home where the couple live, and property, including the SUV. Deputies found all the stolen computer equipment, plus other illegal items found inside a locked bedroom included scales, baggies, drug pipes, for meth and marijuana smoking, and pills scheduled as schedule IV. Hiding inside the residence, in her son's closet, was the woman. She was placed under arrested and taken to jail.
The woman faces felony burglary, grand larceny, conspiracy, possession of stolen property possession of controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Her bail is $50,000.
the man faces felony burglary and grand larceny charges. His bail has been set at $50,000.
Earlier this month, two Sacramento men were arrested on charges related to a theft of computers. Click here to read the story. http://carsonnow.org/story/04/19/2010/two-charged-connection-computer-thefts-carson-city-wal-mart