Man caught with nearly $3K in stolen fragrance, allegedly planned to trade for fentanyl pills

A man was arrested on Monday after he was caught stealing numerous bottles of fragrance, including one that had a GPS tracker attached to it, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies responded to a beauty store in the 16900 block of Meridian Avenue East in South Hill after employees reported that a man stole $2,862 worth of fragrance.

Employees notified deputies that one of the bottles had a GPS tracker, which showed that the suspect was in a parking lot outside a nearby department store.

Upon locating the 22-year-old suspect’s vehicle, deputies learned he was inside the department store.

Deputies then located the suspect inside the store with a backpack containing the stolen merchandise and took him into custody.

According to PCSD, the man told deputies he planned to trade the stolen merchandise for “blues,” a street term for fentanyl pills.

While searching the suspect’s vehicle, deputies discovered that he had shoplifted from another store in the area. All stolen merchandise was returned to the stores.

The man was booked into jail and was charged with trafficking in stolen property in the first degree and theft in the second degree. His bail was set at $10,000.

Last month, he pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary after stealing from an auto parts store in January. He was sentenced to 36 days in jail, which was the amount of time he had already served, according to PCSD.