Crime & Safety
Best Buy Employee Faces Felony Charges From Joliet Police
Joliet officers learned that 18-year-old Justin Simpson stole two computers from inside the Best Buy store in late May, police said.
JOLIET, IL — A member of the Best Buy staff, 18-year-old Joliet resident Justin Simpson, was arrested this week by Joliet police after investigators were notified of employee theft allegations.
Simpson was booked into the Will County Jail around 3:20 p.m. Tuesday on felony retail theft charges. Shortly after noon that day, officers went to the Best Buy on Mall Loop Drive after being alerted to an employee theft.
"Officers learned that on two occasions between May 22, 2022, and May 31, 2022, Simpson, while working as a Best Buy employee, removed a computer from the store on each occasion without purchasing the item and then placed it in a vehicle waiting outside," police spokesman Dwayne English notified Joliet Patch.
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He said the value of the stolen merchandise totaled more than $5,000. Simpson was observed on surveillance video committing both thefts, police said.
Officers placed Simpson into custody without any issues, and he was released from the Will County Jail around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, after posting 10 percent of his $5,000 bail.
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