Document text
http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend January 23, 2007 Wal-Mart customer pulls switcheroo, gets caught Man puts TVs in sandbox containers, pays and leaves with the televisions By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune A Roseburg man was arrested on felony theft charges Monday after he was seen smuggling two television sets hidden in sandbox boxes from the Wal-Mart store on Crater Lake Highway in Medford. Police believe 36-year-old Nonda Gabbard used the same type of scam to target thefts from the Wal-Mart in Talent Monday as well as other Wal-Marts as far south as Redding, Calif., and as far north as Springfield, Medford police Lt. Tim George said. A customer who used to work for Wal-Mart reportedly spied a man take two $40 sandboxes out of their boxes inside the store and then stuff a Liquid Crystal Definition, or LCD, television into each one, according to the Medford Police Department. The man then went through the checkout line, paying for what the clerk believed was the sandboxes, Medford police Lt. Tim George said. The witness notified Wal-Mart security employees who noticed an empty sandbox box in the parking lot, then saw the man drive away in a black Dodge Durango, George said. Employees then telephoned police. Advertisement Medford police spotted the Durango northbound on Interstate 5 and pulled it over at about 5:05 p.m. and arrested Gabbard without incident, George said. Discovered inside were four LCD televisions as well as a cache of radar detectors and other electronics, George said. "We had to send for our community service officer with a pickup to take all the electronics," George said. An unidentified woman inside the Durango at the time of Gabbard's arrest was cited and released on a Josephine County warrant, George said. Gabbard was taken into custody on four counts of first-degree theft, and they are all felonies. He was taken to the Jackson County Jail, but he had not been booked by press time Monday. Gabbard was on probation in Douglas County for a recent first-degree theft conviction, one of many theft convictions on his criminal history, according to court records. George said the theft from the Wal-Mart in Talent was still under investigation and no details were available. "He will be under investigation for thefts from Wal-Marts up and down I-5," George said. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Entertainment Guide Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Men's Clothing Debt Help