'Tis the Season for 5-Finger Discounts: Razor Blades, Booze and More

With the holidays often comes an influx in retail theft arrests.

But officers said this past week that they're uncertain if that increase is because people are shoplifting more frequently, or because loss prevention employees are on higher alert due to the busy shopping season.

Whatever the reason, here's a breakdown of the recent arrests. Some of the items people were reportedly stealing may surprise you.

TUESDAY, DEC. 20

Razor Blade Black Market

Police arrested Edward D. Wright, 50, of the first block of Candlegate Drive in Matteson around 1:20 p.m. and charged him with one count of retail theft. Wright was caught by loss prevention officers at Jewel-Osco, 17117 S. Harlem Ave., according to the police report. They told police he pocketed 10 packages of disposable razors valued at $179.59, the report said. Wright said he steals the razor blades to sell them to certain stores in the area, according to police.

FRIDAY, DEC. 16

Seven Winter Coats

Police said that around 2 p.m., a woman entered Dick's Sporting Goods, 7370 191st St., Tinley Park, and made off with seven winter coats valued at $986. She removed the coats from the racks, quickly left the store and got into the back passenger side of a red, Dodge Ram. A witness was able to get a partial license plate number for the vehicle. Store security is giving police surveillance footage. 

SUNDAY, DEC. 11

Game Console Taken

An employee at Game Stop, 16205 S. Harlem Ave., in Tinley Park, called police around 2:20 p.m. He said two kids who were about 15 years old stole a store display model of a Sony PlayStation III, along with several games and accessories. A customer brought the theft to the employee's attention. Store staff then reviewed surveillance footage that showed the teens committing the crime. 

SATURDAY, DEC. 10

Kids' Shirts and Gift Sets

Amy L. Brenner, 30, of the 26900 block of South Evergreen Court in Crete was arrested around 4:15 p.m. in the 7500 block of 191st Street in Tinley Park and charged with retail theft. Police said Brenner placed $61.15 worth of Kohl's merchandise — three kids' shirts, a picture frame and a bath gift set – in a plastic store bag and left the store without paying. While she was leaving, a loss prevention officer stopped her and a small struggle ensued in which Brenner dropped the bag and her purse, the report said. She managed to recover her personal items and ran from the store, police said, leaving one bag behind. The Kohl's employee was able to get a license plate number of the car Brenner reportedly got into. She and a male driver were pulled over about 25 minutes later and Brenner was arrested, according to the report. She was found with another bag of stolen property, police said.

Booze Thieves Flee Gas Station

A clerk at Shell Gas Station, 8401 159th St., Tinley Park, called police around 6:40 p.m., when a customer told her that three or four boys were taking cases of beer out the east side entrance of the business. The woman told the clerk that the kids were likely about 13 years old. When the clerk went outside to check, she saw the juveniles running south on 84th Avenue, police said. She said she believed the kids stole six 12-packs of Miller Lite cans valued at a total of $49.74. She was working on getting surveillance footage for police. 

THURSDAY, DEC. 8

More Than $1,000 Worth of Razor Blades and Video Games

arrested an out-of-towner this month who they said stole more than $1,000 worth of razors and video games from three area stores. 

Nicole L. Torrado, 27, of the 14600 block of Kildare Avenue in Midlothian, was arrested around 4:10 p.m. at Super Target, 7300 191st St. in Tinley. A loss prevention officer at the store said he watched Torrado take $496.84 worth of merchandise, according to the report.

He told the cops he was contacted by employees at the Orland Park store in reference to a woman who was stealing Gillette Fusion razor blades and Nintendo DS games from their location. The Orland Park loss prevention officers sent a photo of the suspect, which turned out to be Torrado, according to the report. 

The Tinley Park store's security staff said they saw Torrado take several Nintendo DS games and an XBox Kinect game in her cart underneath her purse and coat, the report said. She then purchased several small items and tried to leave the store, they said. 

During an interview, Torrado allegedly said she'd also taken razor blades and video games from a Crestwood Target. She pointed officers to the stolen merchandise, which was scattered across the floor in the back seat area of her 2005 Chevrolet Impala, they said.

The total value of the stolen property from the Crestwood and Orland Park stores was $535.08, according to the report. She was charged with one felony count of retail theft and one felony count of possession of stolen property.

Police report information is provided by the  and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to  We will verify and report the outcome.

Looking for more crime news?

Like us on Facebook