CASS COUNTY, Mo. — Two suspects were arrested Monday for allegedly running a months-long retail theft operation targeting Walmart stores across multiple states.
Christopher Loepke and Angel Jones were charged with felony receiving stolen property after Harrisonville police tracked a Kia Sportage linked to alleged thefts in Nevada, Butler, and other cities.
Lee’s Summit police had alerted Harrisonville officers shortly before 4 p.m. that the SUV was involved in additional thefts. Officers located the vehicle at the Harrisonville Walmart, where staff recognized it from prior incidents connected to a documented shoplifting scheme. Loepke and Jones were detained inside the store.
Police noted that Jones was found with multiple Walmart return receipts for calculators during a search for an unrelated warrant.
According to Walmart security, the suspects had been monitored since June, with thefts totaling more than $58,000. Court documents allege that earlier the same day, the suspects stole $1,300 in Texas Instruments calculators from the Butler Walmart by placing the items in a box, scanning only the box, and leaving with unpaid merchandise—a method reportedly used consistently for calculators and sports trading cards.
A search of the Kia yielded 29 calculators, 26 boxes of sports trading cards, shipping labels, and multiple cardboard boxes. Investigators also found a UPS store card for Joplin, suggesting stolen goods were shipped to unknown locations.
Both Loepke and Jones had previously been trespassed from all Walmart stores multiple times. No items were stolen from the Harrisonville Walmart during Monday’s arrest.
