On November 7, Arnold Police arrested a 19-year-old man and woman from Des Moines, Iowa, after they were caught attempting to return tampered video game consoles at a Walmart store in the St. Louis area. The couple is accused of orchestrating a scam that involved purchasing video game systems, removing critical internal components, and attempting to obtain refunds at multiple Walmart locations across the region.
At approximately 10:15 a.m., officers responded to a call from Walmart, located at 2201 Michigan Ave., when employees noticed the gaming systems were missing key internal parts during a return attempt. Investigators later discovered that the pair had been carrying out similar returns at other Walmart stores in the St. Louis area. They are also suspected of carrying out similar scams in other states.
A search of the suspects’ vehicle, a 2013 Ford Escape, revealed additional computer hardware parts linked to the stolen video game systems.
Both suspects were arrested and taken to the Arnold Police Station. They were booked and released pending further investigation. Detective Lt. Jeremy Christopher confirmed that as of November 13, the investigation was ongoing, and while the value of the stolen items remains undetermined, authorities believe it exceeds $750—potentially leading to felony charges.
This case remains under investigation, and charges have not yet been officially filed.