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Shoplifting at Neptune Mountaineering?

Original Post
Bang Nhan · · Charlottesville, VA · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 35
facebook.com/photo.php?v=59…

"Attention Mountain Community: we need your help. Today, the individual in this video walked out of our store with a pair of La Sportiva Olympus Mons Evo boots size 44.5 without paying for them. He is shown in this video with the boots on his feet. The man is white, approximately 50 years old, 6'0" tall, 150 pounds and is missing his pinky and ring finger on his left hand, possibly from frostbite injury. These boots are really only useful on Denali and Everest, and the mountaineering community is small. Any accurate information about who this man is that leads to a police arrest will be rewarded with a $300 gift certificate to Neptune Mountaineering. Please call 303-499-8866 with any information. Thanks for your help."
— at Neptune Mountaineering.
Ben Brotelho · · Albany, NY · Joined May 2011 · Points: 520

That is fucked up, I really hope they catch the guy.

Jim Amidon · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2001 · Points: 850

Balls.......

The guy had a full sac........

Paid for some thing and walked right the F out.....

Ryan Williams · · London (sort of) · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,245

Shoes are easy to steal. People try it in my shop all the time. They rarely have security tags on them so if you leave someone alone, they'll just wait for the right time and walk out the front door. This guy was smart enough to pay for something and was even calm enough to have a conversation w/ the sales assistant. He knew this would keep people from being suspicious. And if he got caught, he could always just say "Oh man, I completely forgot that I had them on! They are so comfortable!"

We keep security tags on our expensive boots. We take them off if the customer requests, but then we have to watch the person carefully. Shoplifting is A LOT more common than people think. The amount of money lost by our central London store over Christmas would blow your mind!

Great that you guys have cameras, but get some alarms on those boots! Hope you find the guy. You have much better odds of catching him than we do when we lose merchandise!

Eric G. · · Saratoga Springs, NY · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 70
Sleeplessinnormandy wrote: mate, here's what I recon: do like that preacher man did in les miserables and fogive those boots! fo-gi-v! That brother likely needed those and could not scrounge enough cash to fulfill that bucket dream of his..you recon? huh? peace my brother!
I am impressed by how generous you are with other people`s stuff.
Mike Lane · · AnCapistan · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 880

Better cameras in better spots and this is a closed case. Why bother with them at all if you get a grainy image?

Ben Brotelho · · Albany, NY · Joined May 2011 · Points: 520

Looks like this guy is liable for a class 4 felony in Colorado, See numbers 26 or 29:

colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?b…

Edit: looks like that has been amended to read it is only a class 4 felony if the value is $1000 to $15,000:

search.jurisearch.com/NLLXM…

and

state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir…

So, if the store charges $1000+ for the boots, the guy could get: fine of at least $2,000, and at most $500,000...and here's the clincher: AT LEAST 2 years imprisonment, up to 6 years, and mandatory parole of 3 years.

If the boots cost less than $1000, then the guy could get, as a class 1 misdemeanor: 6-18 months in jail, and a fine of $100 to $5000.

It looks like the price is pretty close to a thousand, so hopefully this guy gets two years of jail to plan his next expedition...oh wait, I'm sure the parole board won't let him leave the state. Good thing there's plenty of climbing in Boulder area...he might have a hard time finding a partner though.

Also see:

search.jurisearch.com/NLLXM…

and

search.jurisearch.com/NLLXM…

Disclaimer: this could all be completely wrong, please do not depend on it for anything other than a cursory overview of what may happen to the guy when they catch him.

Ben Brotelho · · Albany, NY · Joined May 2011 · Points: 520

Wow, if I'm right, the Colorado penal system is HARSH.

Jonathan Dull · · Boone, NC · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 415

What do you mean possible shoplifting? Are you sure or not? Looks like this guy got the best of Neptune!

Jason Maurer · · Colorado · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 790

Neptunes should ask to see Chase and Wells Fargo's security videos during that time.. Maybe the Perp parked in that back lot near those banks? Could get a Veachle ID, or a better Pic?
Cameras everywhere these days..

I once caught a guy that stole some sunglasses off my bike as I was at a bank making a deposit.. I came out and the shades were gone.. So I went back in and asked if they had surveillance video out front of the bank.. Obviously they did, so I got a good ID on the dude, and his girlfriend, and tracked them down 20 blocks to the Pearl Street mall.. Long story short, I got my shades back!

chuffnugget · · Bolder, CO · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 0

Dude should be arrested simply for not buying from REI on credit then returning before the bill comes.

Locker · · Yucca Valley, CA · Joined Oct 2002 · Points: 2,349

"Do you know this dude?".

Yeah! He's the dude that's smarter than everyone at Neptune's.

Jonathan Dull · · Boone, NC · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 415
Locker wrote: Yeah! He's the dude that's smarter than everyone at Neptune's.
YEP!
Cale Hoopes · · Sammamish, WA · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 10

Ok, so Olympus Mons. So, he's gonna go climb Everest? Dude, I don't know about you but there's lots of superstition when it comes to that kind of danger, right? So, what kind of awesome karma might you have wearing stolen boots to walk over crevasse ladders.

Good luck dude.

Jeff Kent · · Sedona, Az · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 0
Locker wrote:"Do you know this dude?". Yeah! He's the dude that's smarter than everyone at Neptune's.
Haha! Nailed it!
Steven Bishop · · Denver, CO · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 125
Sleeplessinnormandy wrote: mate, here's what I recon: do like that preacher man did in les miserables and fogive those boots! fo-gi-v! That brother likely needed those and could not scrounge enough cash to fulfill that bucket dream of his..you recon? huh? peace my brother!
Hmmmmmmmm. The ONLY person on the thread that seems to sympathize with said Boot Thief!??
AND he JUST signed up for an account YESTERDAY???

Hey Sleeplessinnormandy??...you headin' over the Himalaya anytime soon...maybe June/July-ish??
hahaha
Tony B · · Around Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 24,665
SendaGorilla wrote: Hmmmmmmmm. The ONLY person on the thread that seems to sympathize with said Boot Thief!?? AND he JUST signed up for an account YESTERDAY??? Hey Sleeplessinnormandy??...you headin' over the Himalaya anytime soon...maybe June/July-ish?? hahaha
Trolls don't climb, they are cavers.
Steven Bishop · · Denver, CO · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 125
Tony B wrote: Trolls don't climb, they are cavers.
HAHAHAHAH.....that was ripe Tony B.....almost spit my coffee all over the screen! lol
teece303 · · Highlands Ranch, CO · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 596
Tony B wrote: Trolls don't climb, they are cavers.

That is truly awesome.
nomadwolf360 Vardamis · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 35

Hey folks,

A little background information. I understand we live in a harsh world and things like these might not matter in the bigger scheme of things. But back in the day at least Boulder was a community and the climbing and mountaineering world were communities too. And there is a human side to it too. This guy came into the shop and certainly talked the talk. The girl who was helping him out is a darn good boot fitter and she takes her job very seriously. Getting a boot for Everest is serious business - mess it up and people lose limbs. She went through a 30-minute process to get him in the right boot. Lots of boots tried on, messing with sizes, making sure the toe room was right. It's not like trying on a pair of Crocks. A millimeter or two off and you can lose toes. Yeah, we're certainly aware of shop lifters but it doesn't dictate our every step. The man told her he was a physician up on Everest, talked about how beautiful the mountain was and knew enough details to be credible. He asked to walk around in the boots and where the bathroom was. This is a normal request - especially during an hour long Olympus Mons fit - and we don't require our employees to follow people into the bathroom. Maybe we should - I don't know. The relationship had been established and climbing is a sport where trust is paramount...as a store we hold to this climbing credo. We treat folks like adults. While he was "going to the bathroom" the sales clerk woman was checking for him what kind of heel lifts we had and other methods to make this boot exceptional for him. When she went looking for him it wasn't to bust him but to find out what his feet were doing so she could make the boots better. Of course, he'd already left the store, careful to not show his feet to our register clerk, with his pants zipped up well over the boots. When she found out what happened she was devastated to tears and it wasn't really about the thousand bucks. It was about the breach of trust. Perhaps that's silly. Maybe we should all be cynical and clinical in the way we do business, but personally I don't want the climbing and mountaineering world to become like that. It's about trust, honesty and doing the right thing. We're not trying to create a lynch mob here, but we do want that breach of trust acknowledged. Yeah, it would be great to get the boots back, but more than anything I want him to apologize to our sales clerk for breaking a simple code of life. If you're reading this sir, that your way out of this situation. Come in, return the boots, apologize, do the right thing starting now.

Happiegrrrl · · Gunks · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 60

NepRep - I understand how that girl feels. I used to be a jewelry salesperson at JCPenney, and one night as I was closing up our displays I noticed that one of the 14K gold bracelets which would have needed to go in the safe was gone....

It was a $2500 bracelet, and someone had apparently reached around, opened the cabinet, and slipped away with the piece. I was devastated that it had happened "on my watch" and insisted the night manager call main one right away. He didn't, but the next day I was into the store at opening to speak with him. I felt responsible, as no doubt your clerk does, even though it was not her fault. It is not a good feeling to have.

In my case, it ended up being an inside job, believe it or not(not saying this was the case at Neptunes yesterday). One of our managers had developed a bit of a sniffle(cocaine problem), and he had been stealing jewelery while covering our shifts at break. My loss was noticed immediately, as detailed, but at inventory time, our department was SO far off we had to do a second inventory with specialists. Then...the film began to be reviewed and the truth came out. Everyone was shocked that one of our favorite managers had been betraying our trust for the last several months.

Hope you do find this thief and prosecute. And that your clerk does understand that the thief seemed to have had a plan, and took advantage of her. She did nothing wrong.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

General Climbing
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