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- A man was arrested and accused in a string of thefts at Home Depot and Lowe's stores across the state amounting to more than $80,000 in merchandise.
- Authorities found $82,000 worth of products in his motel room and van, including electrical items, police said.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man was arrested and accused in a string of thefts at Home Depot and Lowe's stores across the state amounting to more than $80,000 in merchandise.
Manuel Gonzalez, 52, was arrested Monday, according to a statement from the Utah Attorney General's Office.
Agents from the Crimes Against Statewide Economy Strike Force executed a search warrant on Gonzalez's motel room and van, where they say they recovered more than $82,000 in Home Depot products. The products included electrical outlets, breakers, switches and carbon monoxide detectors.
"Gonzalez appears to have been traveling around the country participating in organized retail theft with the intention of reselling the stolen home products," the attorney's office said.
According to court documents, Gonzalez would select a boxed item such as a bathroom vanity and use the box to hide electrical breakers. He would purchase the vanity with cash and leave the store without paying for the electrical breakers, and later return the boxed item for a cash refund, investigators said.
Using this method, Gonzalez allegedly stole between $3,000 and $7,000 in products from stores at the Washington, St. George, and Cedar City Home Depot locations on Saturday, according to the affidavit. On Sunday, police said he did the same at two Salt Lake City Home Depot locations.
Investigators say he also conducted 18 thefts totaling around $72,000 between April 30 and May 5 at various stores, the police booking affidavit states.
"In each of these identified incidents, the suspect was observed on surveillance video conducting the theft," a police booking affidavit states.
Gonzalez's vehicle was identified through Home Depot surveillance video and through a license plate read at a store in another state, the affidavit states. His vehicle was located a La Quinta motel, where he was located and taken into custody.
Police located hundreds of electrical breakers, electrical outlets, tools and carbon monoxide detectors in his van, court documents state. In an interview, Gonzalez told police he was hiding the products under carpets and selling them on the street to send money to his parents in Mexico, the affidavit states.
"Based on information from ICE, Manuel is in the country illegally, he has previously been deported, he has been arrested in multiple states conducting similar thefts, and he is admittedly homeless and not a resident of Utah," the police booking affidavit states.
Investigators said he stole approximately $7,700 worth of electrical breakers from the Bountiful, Clinton, Layton, Salt Lake City and West Valley City Lowe's stores between Oct. 24 and 25, court documents state.
Gonzalez was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of retail theft greater than $5,000 and pattern of unlawful activity.
