DaytonDailyNews.com

MIAMI TWP., Montgomery County — A loss prevention officer responsible for preventing thefts at Macy's in the Dayton Mall has been arrested for assisting shoplifters, including his sister, with stealing $10,000 worth of clothing from the store Tuesday night, Nov. 18.

John DiPietro, deputy chief of the Miami Twp. police, said the 24-year-old West Carrollton man had been working at the store since February and had duties such as monitoring surveillance cameras from the store's security office.

The loss prevention officer intentionally looked the other way when a group of four thieves he apparently knew came into the store between 9 and 10 p.m. Tuesday and carried away $10,000 in merchandise without paying for it.

"This was a man I had worked with; somebody who was entrusted to be a loss prevention officer," DiPietro said. "I'm very angry about this. I just hope it isn't a sign of the times."

Police, who were alerted to the theft by another Macy's security employee, confronted the thieves in the parking lot and recovered the stolen goods.

DiPietro said the five people taken into custody Tuesday night had not been formally charged as of Wednesday morning, so their names were not released. The suspects face charges of felony theft and complicity to felony theft, and DiPietro said evidence in the case will be reviewed with Montgomery County Prosecutors Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.

DiPietro said Tuesday night's theft was discovered because a loss prevention manager who supervised the arrested loss prevention officer had suspected the man for some time and had been watching him.

DiPietro said it is extremely likely that Tuesday night's theft was not the only time the group of thieves and their inside accomplice had stolen merchandise.

"We don't know yet what they were doing with the clothes they stole," he said. "We don't know if they were connected with some kind of fencing operation. They might have been returning the clothes to other stores trying to get cash. All that will be clearer once we've had some time to investigate."

In addition to the loss prevention officer from West Carrollton, police arrested four people from Dayton who they believe took merchandise from the store. They included a 28-year-old woman with a criminal record who was the loss prevention officer's sister. The others were a 29-year-old woman and two 22-year-old men.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2395 or jcummings@DaytonDailyNews.com.