LYNNWOOD – An Old Navy shopping bag was the clue that something wasn’t right.
A security guard at Alderwood mall spotted three women Friday carrying the store’s bags.
The hint: There’s no Old Navy in the mall.
Police believe the women are members of a Portland, Ore.-based retail crime ring that’s been operating for more than a dozen years.
They allegedly were caught with $9,000 in stolen merchandise from stores in Lynnwood and elsewhere in Washington.
When Lynnwood police pulled the trio over as they drove away, they found a trunk brimming with stolen clothing and stolen sunglasses. Those arrested included a mother and daughter, police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said.
Store security at Nordstrom told police the women are part of a crime ring that’s been hitting stores in the Northwest for a dozen years, according to court documents.
The group may have hit stores in Bellevue on Thursday, Nordstrom loss-prevention detectives told Lynnwood police, the documents said.
Police in Tigard, Ore., are investigating the women in connection with “some considerable thefts” in April at a Nordstrom there, said Officer Jim Wolf.
Police still are looking for other members of the shoplifting gang, Sessions said.
Nationally, organized retail crime accounts for more than $30 billion in losses annually, according to an FBI report.
Shoplifters working in groups often steal vast quantities of merchandise and turn around and sell the products at flea markets, pawn shops and on the Internet, according to the National Retail Federation.
A 2007 survey of national retailers found that organized groups committed more than half of store thefts.
Friday’s arrests came after Alderwood mall security spotted the women at Champs, a sporting goods store, Sessions said.
Security became suspicious and started following the women. When one of the women left the store, an alarm was triggered.
Store security stopped the woman and found items in her shopping bag that weren’t paid for, Sessions said. The woman claimed the items fell into the bag accidentally.
Security followed the women to their car and called police. The car was stopped a short time later by officers who arrested the women, Sessions said.
When officers searched the car, they found thousands of dollars of merchandise, including $5,000 worth of goods taken from Nordstrom stores alone, courts papers said.
One of the women has been on Nordstrom security’s radar since 1995, said Brooke White, a corporate spokeswoman.
That woman has at least two prior arrests for thefts from the Seattle-based retailer, White said.
The women were booked for investigation of first-degree organized retail theft under a state law passed in 2006.
The law makes it a felony to shoplift large amounts of merchandise working with somebody else, Sessions said.
Shoplifters typically face misdemeanor charges that usually carry fines. Felony charges can result in jail time.
“It’s become an increasing issue for all retailers, and that’s why you’re seeing things like legislation being passed,” White said.
In a separate incident, Lynnwood police also arrested two men Monday night and booked them for investigation of second-degree organized retail theft. Security spotted them stealing almost $1,000 worth of Coach handbags from the Nordstrom at the Alderwood mall, according to court documents.
Shoplifting is a problem anywhere there are retail stores, Sessions said. “Fortunately, mall security and the Lynnwood police work closely together.”
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
