Dickson City police are asking the public to help identify a man suspected in a retail theft that happened last Thursday, according to the Dickson City Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to contact police via Facebook Messenger or by calling 570-382-8018, referencing case number 2026-9688.
The request, first reported by Newport Dispatch, is the latest in a string of retail theft investigations that have kept Dickson City police busy in recent months. It is not clear from available information whether this case is connected to other recent retail theft investigations in the borough.
A Separate $15,000 Home Depot Case
Earlier this month, Dickson City police also sought the public's help identifying a suspect with a noticeable tattoo on the left arm, tied to a different retail theft investigation logged under case number 2026-8687, the station previously reported. That case remains separate from the one opened last Thursday, though the two have not been publicly linked by police.
In a separate and larger investigation, Dickson City police are looking into a theft of merchandise valued at more than $15,000 from the local Home Depot store, according to Fox56. Investigators believe the same suspect in that case may also be responsible for a separate theft at a Home Depot location in Stroudsburg, the station reports. Anyone with information on the Home Depot theft is asked to contact Patrolman M. Gallagher with the Dickson City Police Department at 570-489-3231, extension 2031.
Pattern of Retail Crime in the Borough
Dickson City, home to the sprawling Viewmont Mall and a cluster of big-box retailers along its commercial corridor, has seen a steady run of theft cases this year. Back in March, police sought help identifying a suspect in a theft at the Ulta Beauty inside Viewmont Mall, which occurred on March 5, 2026, around 6 p.m., Newport Dispatch reported at the time.
In April, two Binghamton, New York residents were accused of stealing more than $300 in merchandise from the Dickson City Target before fleeing in a Toyota RAV4, according to The Times-Tribune. Lesa Marie Savage and Joshua Ostrander, both of Binghamton, faced multiple charges including felony counts of retail theft, and police said Savage had nine prior retail theft convictions while Ostrander had seven. A search of their vehicle turned up both stolen Target merchandise and drug paraphernalia, the paper reported.
Statewide Numbers Point to a Broader Trend
The local cases are unfolding against a backdrop of rising retail theft across Pennsylvania. Retail theft offenses statewide increased 16% from 2023 to 2024, hitting a five-year high, according to the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. That followed a 53% jump in filed offenses from 2021 to 2023 after years of decline, and a 30% increase from 2021 to 2022 alone, per the same court system's data.
Dickson City is in Lackawanna County, not the Lehigh Valley. The county recorded 269 retail theft offenses filed in 2021 and 392 in 2022, according to the state courts' figures. The statewide counts cover offenses charged under Title 18, Sections 3929, 3929.1, 3929.2 and 3929.3, and are drawn from the Magisterial District Judge System and the Common Pleas Case Management System.
No arrests have been announced in the Thursday incident, and police have not released a description of the suspect beyond their request for public help. Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to Dickson City police through the contact methods listed above.
