CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Cheyenne man is facing felony charges after police say he stole at least $2,000 from a local Sam’s Club by submitting more than 20 fraudulent tire and battery returns.
Jonathan Roy Phillips was arrested on August 22 on a felony charge of shoplifting involving more than $1,000.
He is presumed innocent unless he pleads or is found guilty.
According to a court affidavit, a Cheyenne police officer was dispatched to Sam’s Club, 1948 Dell Range Blvd., on August 22 at 2:20 p.m. The store manager stated that an employee had made more than 20 known fraudulent returns for tires and battery cores.
She said Sam’s Club had reviewed incidents dating back to August 6, and the total amount stolen was expected to rise. She also stated that the thefts were caught on security footage.
Phillips was interviewed on the scene, and police say he explained that he planned to use receipts that had not been sent to customers for tires and batteries.
He would then enter the amount of the return into the computer system and retrieve the corresponding value from the registers.
According to the affidavit, Phillips told authorities that he took the money out of necessity to pay his bills and feed his family.
Phillips was arrested and taken to Laramie County Detention Center.
