OAK HARBOR — A 35-year-old man suspected of stealing trading cards from Walmart is facing charges of theft and robbery, according to court documents.
Michael H. Brown, of Auburn, appeared in Island County Superior Court on Monday. A judge found probable cause for second-degree robbery and third-degree theft.
The judge set Brown’s bail at $5,000 and ordered him not to go near Walmart.
On the afternoon of March 16, an Island County sheriff’s deputy responded to the report of a theft at the Oak Harbor Walmart. According to the deputy’s report, the store’s asset protection specialist reported a man had grabbed the arm of one of the employees in an aggressive manner.
The employee who had been grabbed told the deputy she confronted a man taking some boxes from the self-checkout, according to the report. When she asked to see his receipt, he squeezed her arm, telling her not to touch his stuff, and left the store.
Video security footage from Walmart showed the man taking several boxes of cards and placing them into a cart before being approached by the employee, the report states. The merchandise included 15 packs of Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards and 24 packs of card covers totaling $407.
The man, later identified as Brown, returned to Walmart again March 29, according to the deputy’s report. The deputy confronted him while he was in the store; Brown’s cart contained more packs of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and an Xbox Live card. Brown was arrested and escorted out of the store.
The deputy noted that Brown has an extensive criminal history, including for burglary, identity theft and possessing stolen property, among many other things.
Kira Erickson; kerickson@whidbeynewsgroup.com
This story originally appeared in the Whidbey News-Times, a sibling publication to The Herald.
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