'Blu-Ray Bandits' Arrested
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Updated: 5:11 AM Feb 5, 2009
'Blu-Ray Bandits' Arrested
Target Security Spot Thieves, Siblings
Metro Target stores have had a target on their back the last few months. Shoplifters seem to be interested in just one thing -- Blu-ray movies. On Tuesday, Papillion police made two arrests.
Posted: 10:31 PM Feb 4, 2009
Reporter: Brian Mastre
Email Address: sixonline@wowt.com
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Metro Target stores have had a target on their back the last few months. Shoplifters seem to be interested in just one thing -- Blu-ray movies. On Tuesday, Papillion police made two arrests.

Security video at the SuperTarget at 84th and Cornhusker Road in Papillion shows Christie Heitshusen, 22, shopping for DVD's with her brother Michael, 25.

The siblings from Oakland, Nebraska, are now facing felony shoplifting charges.

Papillion Police tell Channel 6 News the suspects had $4,500 worth of high definition DVD's in the shopping carts.

"They started stuffing DVDs and Cd's into stolen Rubbermaid tote they'd taken, says Sgt Jeff Payton with Papillion Police.

In all, Sergeant Payton says, they grabbed 123 individual blu-ray DVD's, plus several box sets from store shelves... barely leaving anything behind.

The aisle looks like a candy store on the day after Halloween.

Empty.

Target loss prevention had been watching closely and followed them through the store.

They'd been warned that these two may have hit other Target stores in the metro... and then sold the merchandise to pawn shops.

The two who brought these DVDs in to Sol's had a wide range of tastes...From comedy to the classics - from westerns to children's movies. They even owed two copies of the same movie. This was a dead giveaway. They're all wrapped.

"When we see things like this - brand new in the boxes we know what's going on," says John Dineen of Sol's Jewelry and Loan. "We don't put a lot of money into them. They'll usually take any money you throw at them."

So how did the two get the goods out of the store? Channel 6 News has learned that in other cases of Blu-ray thefts -- the shoplifters emptied out a box holding a vacuum cleaner or coffee maker and filled it with DVD's.

In this case -- the two completely bypassed the check-out. Papillion police officers were waiting outside.

Sol's is holding these suspicious Blu-ray DVDs -- 138 of them -- for police.

Investigators are trying to find out if the 'Blu-ray Bandits' had anything to do with it.

Channel 6 went through Omaha Police reports and came across at least four other shoplifting cases involving Blu-ray DVDs since early December.

Three of the stores were different Supertargets.

One was Sears.

Total losses reported for the 4 shoplifting cases came to more than $8,000.


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