Shoplifters snagged over $25,000 in items from this Bluffton store in the past year.
A Bluffton clothing store fell victim to theft again Thursday evening after a man stacked up a pile of clothing and made a run for it.
The theft was reported at True Religion Jeans in the Tanger 1 Outlets around 7:15 p.m. after an employee noticed a man wearing blue jeans, a gray jacket and camouflage hat walk into the store and begin to stack clothing near the front door, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report.
The employee asked the man several times if he needed help before she attempted to notify security of the man’s suspicious activity.
The man then ran from the store and took at least two t-shirts and three denim jackets, the report said.
The items had a combined total of $397.
A deputy searched the area and was unable to locate the man. However, images of the suspect were taken from surveillance video, the report said.
This is at least the seventh time the store has been burglarized in just over a year.
▪ On March 16, four women were caught stealing over $3,300 in items by the Sheriff’s Office.
▪ On Jan. 27, the store reported over $3,000 in men’s jeans stolen by a man who grabbed several stacks of the pants and ran out the front door.
▪ 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 men who entered the store wearing hooded sweatshirts and grabbed a stack of shirts off a shelf before getting away.
▪ On Nov. 17, 2016, 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, 2016, a Columbia man was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting after he allegedly sprinted from the store with $3,000 worth of clothing.
Caitlin Turner: 843-706-8184, @Cait_E_Turner
This story was originally published November 10, 2017 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Shoplifters snagged over $25,000 in items from this Bluffton store in the past year.."