Bluffton clothing store robbed of thousands in jeans for 5th time in 3 months

Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies are attempting to identify a man accused of stealing over $3,000 in men’s jeans from a Bluffton store that has fallen victim to thieves several times in the last three months.

About 3 p.m. Saturday, the male suspect entered the True Religion Jeans store, walked around for 15 minutes and, when employees looked away, stole several stacks of the pants and ran out of the store’s front door, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

The man was chased by an employee, who saw him get into a newer model silver Nissan Altima with a North Carolina tag that revealed the car was from a rental company, the release said.

The suspect was described as being of medium build, and wearing black pants, a black T-shirt, and a red and white “NY” bucket hat.

Anyone with information may contact Deputy Z. Cushman at 843-255-3308 or call Beaufort County Dispatch at 843-524-2777.

The theft marks the fifth time the Tanger 1 Outlet store has reported a large theft.

On Dec. 29, the store reported being robbed of $5,000 in upscale clothing by four women who got away.

Two days prior, the store had been hit with a $500 theft by two African-American men who entered the store wearing hooded sweatshirts and grabbed a stack of shirts off of a shelf before getting away.

On Nov. 17, two suspects entered the store and stuffed clothing into black bags before they ran in the direction of Bluffton Parkway, taking $10,000 worth of merchandise with them.

On Nov. 7, a Columbia man was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting after he allegedly sprinted from the store with $3,000 worth of clothing.

This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Bluffton clothing store robbed of thousands in jeans for 5th time in 3 months."