Westland shoplifter steals by filling cart, walking out back door

WESTLAND, Mich. (WJBK) - A serial shoplifter who simply loaded up shopping carts and walked out the back door has been busted in Westland.

"The MO for him appeared to be obtaining multiple big-ticket items and then going out a back door," said Sgt. Robert Wilke of Westland police.

Jared Jones first popped up on the Westland police radar back in July, when he allegedly stole hundreds of dollars worth of power tools from Lowe's.

Police posted his picture on Facebook, which led to tips so police could identify the suspect.

Jones stayed off the radar until surfacing again in January, showing up at K-Mart and Target.

His method is just act like he's supposed to be there, even as he walks through areas marked "Employees only."

He'd have a getaway driver waiting for him and before the employees know what happened, he's gone.

"We're definitely looking into the possibility that he had some assistance," Wilke said.

Thanks to Facebook tips, police tracked him down and hope to curb his activities at least for a little while, but they know its hard to stop this behavior altogether.

"I can guarantee you that nothing happens to them if they never get caught, so at least this is another tool that we can use to catch people who are doing bad things," Wilke said.

Jones faces four counts of retail fraud among other charges.