A man walked into the Lowe’s on Telegraph Road, allegedly walked out with a $799 DeWalt tool kit, and then came back four days later for an $849 Dyson vacuum cleaner — telling employees both times that he was simply picking up a Shipt order. Now Bloomfield Township police are asking the public for help identifying him.
According to The Oakland Press, the Bloomfield Township Police Department is investigating the reported theft of two pricey items from the Telegraph Road store. Police said the suspect first struck on Oct. 1, making off with a seven-piece DeWalt tool kit valued at $799. He returned on Oct. 5 — just four days later — and allegedly took an $849 Dyson vacuum cleaner.
In both instances, police said the suspect claimed the merchandise was part of a Shipt order he had come to collect, a cover story that apparently let him walk the goods out the door without raising immediate alarm. Police have described him only as a Black man with dreadlocks and glasses, and no further identifying details have been released.
Police Seek Tips as Suspect Remains Unidentified
Anyone with information has been asked to call the Bloomfield Township Police Department at 248-433-7755. No arrest or charges have been reported in connection with either alleged theft, and police have not released a case number or additional details about the investigation.
This isn’t the first time a Lowe’s along Telegraph Road has dealt with a brazen walkout. Back in 2017, Hometownlife reported that a man carried a nail gun and reciprocating saw up to a register at the store at 1801 Telegraph Road as if he intended to pay, then apologized to the cashier before grabbing the tools and sprinting out without paying. Witnesses told police they saw him speed off in a black Pontiac Grand Prix, and investigators released surveillance photos while asking the public to call that same police line with tips.
Shoplifting Is Down Nationally, But Repeat Offenses Are Up
The alleged Telegraph Road thefts come even as retailers nationally report shoplifting is trending downward. A survey cited by the National Retail Federation found a 12.4% decrease in shoplifting incidents in 2025 compared with the prior year, along with an 8.1% decline in overall retail merchandise theft. The findings come from the 2026 Impact of Retail Theft & Violence survey, which drew responses from 66 retail companies representing 143 brands.
Yet the same data shows a more complicated picture underneath the headline numbers. Retailers reported higher rates of repeat offenders, organized retail crime-related incidents, and so-called walkout or pushout theft, alongside rising rates of phone scams, loyalty fraud, and gift card theft, per the trade group’s survey. A suspect allegedly returning to the same store within days to pull off a similar scheme fits the pattern retailers say they’re increasingly contending with, even as raw shoplifting counts fall.
Michigan law does lay out specific thresholds for retail fraud tied to refunds or exchanges for unpaid merchandise. Under Michigan Legislature statute, obtaining or attempting to obtain a refund or exchange for property valued at least $200 but less than $1,000 that was never paid for can fall under that provision, while a separate section covering property valued at $1,000 or more allows for a first-degree retail fraud charge for those with qualifying prior convictions. It remains unclear whether either statute applies to the Telegraph Road case, and no charges have been confirmed.
