In a typical scene of retail theft, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office was called to a Target store for a case of blatant shoplifting. As reported by the Sheriff's Office, a person accused of being a transient was caught on the act of stuffing a suitcase with merchandise from the store before attempting to leave unnoticed. According to the Facebook post by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the loot was retrieved just down the street from the retail establishment, promptly after the incident was reported.

The deputies caught up with the individual, filled with stolen goods, recovered the suitcase just down the street. However, an unexpected twist in the law permitted the person to be issued only a citation as the value of the stolen goods amounted to $661, which is below the felony theft threshold of $950. Described in the statement by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the cited individual showed disdain for the legal process by "crumpled the citation up in front of deputies."

While the situation resolved with all the stolen items being returned to Target, it raises questions about the efficacy of current theft laws. Under state law, the perpetrator was not eligible for more severe consequences due to the monetary value of the theft. This incident might suggest to some that more stringent measures need to be considered when addressing retail theft, regardless of the financial assessment of the stolen goods.

For now, the Target store returned the merchandise to their inventory, and business resumed as usual. The Sheriff's Office report made no mention of any plans to adjust the local approach to theft, despite the nonchalant reaction of the accused, who has remained unnamed in the reports, to the enforcement of the law.