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A homeless man was arrested yesterday after he used two kids to help him in a poorly thought out jewelry heist at a JC Penney store in Phoenix.
About 5 p.m. yesterday, 22-year-old Pyne Barlee was arrested at the JC Penney at 1727 West Bethany Home Road in Phoenix. He was busted with two 14-year-old kids, all of whom were found with boxes of jewelry — stolen from the store — in their backpacks.
Their plan wasn’t exactly sophisticated.
According to court documents obtained by New Times, Barlee and the two kids just walked into the store, picked up pieces of jewelry, and each went into a restroom.
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In the restroom, the three removed the security devices on the jewelry, put the merchandise in their backpacks, and tried to walk out of the store.
It may come as a shock to Barlee, but people have been stealing shit from JC Pennry for decades — the store’s theft detection capabilities are a bit advanced for such an unsophisticated grab job to be successful.
The three left the bathroom, walked past the point of purchase, and were quickly scooped up by the store’s loss prevention team, which had been watching them the entire time.
When police arrived, Barlee told cops he didn’t steal anything — an interesting story considering they found the stolen merchandise in his bag. He later changed his tune and told cops he did steal the jewelry, but he did so to give to his girlfriend.
Barlee’s been charged with one count of shoplifting, and one count of removal of a theft detection device. Because Barlee recruited children to aid in his scheme, he’s also been charged with two counts of endangering the life and health of a minor.
