ORANGE — Two men face charges after police say they conspired to steal items from Walmart in hopes of returning them for a gift card.
Joseph F. Thibeault, 53, of Athol was arraigned last week on charges of shoplifting by concealing merchandise, conspiracy, and attempting to commit crime, and Arnold W. Carver, 60, of Orange, was arraigned on a conspiracy charge.
Thibeault was ordered held on $500 cash bail and Craver was released on personal recognizance. Both have pretrial conferences slated for Aug. 22.
According to court documents, Orange Police Officer Mark Vitale was dispatched on July 15 to the Walmart Supercenter at 555 East Main St., where the store’s loss prevention officer had Thibeault in custody. The loss prevention officer said his assistant manager saw Thibeault place $174.12 worth of merchandise into Walmart bags Carver supplied. Vitale reports Thibeault told him Craver selected items and placed them in a shopping cart, intending for Thibeault to return the items at the service desk and get a gift card.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 258.
On Twitter: @DomenicPoli