A man walked into Moore Liquor last Monday, pulled a nearly $200 bottle of tequila out of its box, shoved it down his pants, and walked right back out the door. Store owner Bryan Kerr says his employees noticed the bottle was missing within about five minutes, and now he's turning to the public to help identify the suspect before he decides whether to loop in police.
Cameras Caught Everything but a Name
The theft happened on September 28 at the store located in Moore, Oklahoma, according to News 9. Surveillance footage shows the man's face clearly, though the outlet blurred his identity in the video it published. Kerr told the station he believes the man may have tried to find a blind spot in the store's camera coverage, but Moore Liquor has none — its system covers every angle and has been in place since the business opened roughly 20 years ago, with upgrades added over time.
Store employees spotted the theft almost immediately, within about five minutes after the man had left; the empty packaging tipped them off. Kerr said the suspect was also wearing what looked like a work identification badge, though the store has not been able to determine where it came from or what employer it might be tied to.
No Police Report, at Least for Now
Moore Liquor has not filed a police report in this case, and there is currently no active investigation. That's consistent with how Kerr has handled shoplifting incidents before: the store has a history of using social media to identify people accused of theft or property damage, and it has in some cases asked suspected thieves to simply return the merchandise, apologize, and pay for it rather than involve law enforcement.
That approach goes back more than a decade. In February 2013, Kerr publicly offered a deal to a shoplifter who had stolen a $50 bottle of Cîroc Red Berry vodka, promising not to press charges if the person came back, paid for the bottle, and agreed to stay away from the store going forward, according to KOCO. Kerr now plans to identify the man from last week's incident and hand that information over to police, and he said he's hoping someone in the community recognizes him.
A Familiar Face in Oklahoma's Liquor Fight
Kerr is not new to public attention. He served as longtime president of the Retail Liquor Association of Oklahoma, acting as a leading spokesperson and legal advocate for independent package store owners statewide, according to Oklahoma Magazine. In March 2014, he drew national headlines after posting a sign outside Moore Liquor offering a discount on champagne to mark the death of Westboro Baptist Church leader Fred Phelps, a stunt that, per KGOU, drew protest threats from Westboro members.
Moore Liquor has operated at 914 SW 4th Street for about two decades, serving the Cleveland County community through shifting state alcohol laws and changing retail habits. In November 2020, Kerr reported a pandemic-era sales bump as more residents stayed home and drank less at bars and restaurants, the Southwest Ledger's account of that period noted. Oklahoma's House Bill 2325 allowed parents and guardians to bring minors into package stores, a shift that changed the foot-traffic and monitoring environment inside shops like Kerr's, according to the Oklahoma Gazette.
The Math Behind Every Stolen Bottle
Under Oklahoma law, theft of retail merchandise valued under $1,000 is treated as misdemeanor larceny, punishable by up to a year in county jail and fines up to $1,000 — a tier that covers the stolen tequila bottle rather than triggering felony charges, which only apply once stolen merchandise hits the $1,000 mark. Independent liquor retailers across the state have also been squeezed since voters approved State Question 792 in 2016; it took effect on October 1, 2018, opening the door for grocery and convenience stores to sell wine and full-strength beer. Oklahoma lost roughly two independent liquor stores a month in the years that followed, according to the Oklahoma Gazette.
Even if police never get involved, Kerr has other options. Oklahoma law allows retailers to pursue civil claims against identified shoplifters to recover the retail price of goods if they are unsalable, or their diminished value, along with attorney fees and costs. It separately provides for exemplary damages, or public service in lieu of those damages in the $50–$500 range; these provisions are in addition to criminal penalties and other civil remedies, according to Justia Law. For a small, locally owned shop, losing a single $200 bottle is no small hit, and shoplifting losses like this one tend to push prices higher for everyone else to offset the cost.
The incident comes on the heels of a larger regional crackdown on property crime in the area. In August, Cleveland County Sheriff's deputies executed five search warrants across Moore, Norman, and other local jurisdictions, dismantling a regional theft ring and recovering stolen property, firearms, and drugs. For now, Kerr says the store's cameras keep recording everything inside, and he's urging anyone who recognizes the man from the surveillance video to reach out to Moore Liquor by phone or social media — and he has a simple message for anyone thinking about trying the same thing: don't.
