Man Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Roughly $10K in Merchandise in Hemet

HEMET (CNS) - A 36-year-old man suspected of stealing roughly $10,000
worth of Lego sets and other merchandise from local retail stores in Hemet was
behind bars today.
  

Hugo Omar Sanchez-Sanchez was booked Wednesday on suspicion of
possession of stolen property and organized retail theft, according to the
Hemet Police Department.
  

Bail information was not immediately available.
  

Police said that large quantities of expensive Lego sets and other
merchandise were repeatedly being stolen from a number of local retailers.
  

They identified a suspect who was allegedly selling the stolen items
at a local swap meet and revealed that the constant activity was consistent
with a organized retail theft operation.
  

The department's Organized Retail Theft Team, in partnership with the
Southwest Cities Swat team, executed a served search warrant at a residence
Wednesday in the 300 block of South Gilbert Street.
  

Authorities recovered about $10,000 worth of stolen merchandise, and
Sanchez was arrested the same day, the department stated.
  

``This operations sends a clear message that organized retail theft
will not be tolerated in the city of Hemet. By recovering this stolen
merchandise and returning it to our local businesses, we are not only holding
offenders accountable but also helping to reduce the financial impact these
crimes have on our business partners,'' Police Chief Michael Arellano said in a
statement.
  

Anyone with additional information regarding the theft was asked to
contact the department at 951-765-2400.
  

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