Police: Woman stole thousands from REI in repeat visits
Chrise McMahan told police she took "orders" for jackets and other clothing and would sell it at half-price at an outdoor market in Oakland.
An undercover operation at the Berkeley REI last week led to the arrest of a woman who had taken more than $9,000 in clothing from the store since last year, according to court papers.
Chrise McMahan told police she took "orders" for jackets and other clothing and would sell it at half-price at an outdoor market on International Boulevard in Oakland, police wrote.
McMahan has now been charged with four separate commercial burglaries at the Berkeley REI dating back to August 2023, according to court papers.
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Judge Elena Condes released McMahan on her own recognizance after her arrest last week, ordering her to "not take any item that does not belong to you" and to stay away from all the REI stores in Alameda County, according to court records.
Emilie Raguso
Berkeley police who had set up an undercover operation to bust thieves at the Berkeley REI on April 16 said McMahan stole 26 articles of clothing that day valued at about $3,300.
Store security alerted police when they saw McMahan cutting security tags off of jackets on display, BPD wrote. When she fled from the store, police were ready to catch her.
After McMahan was arrested, Berkeley police realized she had been wanted in connection with three other major thefts at the store: on Aug. 23, 2023, when she and an accomplice reportedly took $2,000 in clothing; on Sept. 12, 2023, when she took an "armful of jackets" worth about $2,300; and on Dec. 7, 2023, when she took $1,800 in jackets, according to court papers.
Chrise McMahan. BPD
Police said McMahan identified herself in REI surveillance footage from the cases last year.
She has now been charged with commercial burglary and grand theft in connection with all four REI incidents, according to court papers.
It's not her first criminal case in Alameda County, court records show.
In addition to older charges, McMahan was charged in late 2022 with commercial burglary and grand theft with great monetary value.
A few months later, she was charged with vehicle theft and related crimes and, in a separate incident, with having a stolen car.
Last year, two of those cases were dismissed as part of a plea deal that put McMahan on probation for a single count of being in possession of a stolen vehicle, according to court records.
McMahan, who has no permanent address on file, is now set to return to court Thursday to enter a plea in last week's REI case and be arraigned in connection with the cases from 2023, according to court records.
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