FOUR people have been arrested for allegedly stealing from a Dick’s Sporting Goods store.
The arrests come just days after the company’s CEO addressed the alarming retail crime spree taking place around the country.
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Police received a call on Monday afternoon alerting them to four people who, employees said, were allegedly stealing from the Janesville, Wisconsin, Dick’s Sporting Goods location.
Employees told police they followed the individuals out of the store where they took off in a gold SUV and silver KIA, according to local NBC affiliate WMTV.
The SUV was still in the parking lot when police arrived and was eventually pulled over after trying to flee the scene.
Police discovered three people inside along with about $300 worth of stolen items, according to WMTV.
The fourth suspect was spotted at a Burger King and questioned by police.
That suspect was later arrested by police, who requested a blood test to determine whether he was intoxicated.
Police found about $50 in stolen merchandise from the fourth suspect’s car, along with open containers, officials said.
That suspect was booked into the Rock County jail and faces charges of retail theft, obstructing an officer, and second offense operating while intoxicated, according to WMTV.
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The man, an Illinois native, had a warrant out for his arrest in that state, according to police.
The three women in the SUV were each booked on one charge of retail theft, WMTV reported.
Police said all four suspects were in their mid-50s but were not further identified.
The arrests came just days after the CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Lauren Hobart, blamed a rise in retail crime for the company’s shrinking profits.
Dick’s posted a second-quarter loss earlier this month days after cutting hundreds of corporate jobs.
The company blamed the decrease in profits on “organized retail crime and our ability to effectively manage inventory shrink.”
Hobart reported that quarterly profits were down 23 percent – despite the fact that sales rose by 3.6 percent.
“Our Q2 profitability was short of our expectations due in large part to the impact of elevated inventory shrink, an increasingly serious issue impacting many retailers,” Hobart said on a call.
“Based on the results from our most recent physical inventory cycle, the impact of theft on our shrink was meaningful to both our second-quarter results and our go-forward expectations for the balance of the year,” Hobart continued.
“We are doing everything we can to address the problem and keep our stores, our teammates and athletes safe.”
https://www.the-sun.com/news/8968531/dicks-sporting-goods-ceo-retail-crime-spree-four-arrested/