Police: Armed Man Out on Bond Steals from Menards

A Sturtevant man out on bond with several felony counts pending is accused of stealing a saw and its attachments while armed from Menard's Sunday morning.

Benjamin Thompson, 24, was charged Monday in Racine County Circuit Court with two felony counts of bail jumping, use of a dangerous weapon and a single count of misdemeanor retail theft. If convicted, he faces up to 12 years, nine months in jail and/or up to $30,000 in fines on top of the sentence he could get for the case filed in January against him.

That case includes a variety of felony and misdemeanor counts including burglary, maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of a short-barreled shotgun, possession of marijuana and criminal damage to property.

According to the criminal complaint filed Monday, Mount Pleasant police were called to Menard's at 11:44 a.m. Sunday for a report of retail theft. When officers arrived, store security staff told them they witnessed Thompson take a saw and various attachments out of its packaging and conceal them in his cart.

Police say Thompson had a child with him and he placed the items next to the child and covered them with an iPad-type tablet and some papers. When he went through the register lane, he paid for several smaller items but never produced the saw for payment.

Store security say they stopped Thompson at the doors just before he exited the store, but he insisted the theft was a mistake. Video surveillance footage shows him looking back and forth in the aisle while he placed the saw in his cart, the complaint reads.

When officers arrived, their reports note that Thompson was cooperative. He informed police he had a gun in his front pants pocket and he showed them his permit. During a search of his person, police found a knife with a 2-1/2-inch blade and a razor box cutter. 

Thompson was free on a $10,000 cash bond for the January case and was not have possessed any weapons or engaged in any further criminal activity. He was due back in court for those charges on June 21.

In court Monday, Court Commissioner Alice Rudebusch assigned a $5,000 cash bond and Thompson was again ordered to not possess any weapons - including knives - and also ordered to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet. His next appearance on these charges is June 12.