Shoplifter of the Week: Lawnmower man

A West Virginia man charged with stealing a number of large and heavy items was apprehended July 21 after police identified him on a store surveillance camera, according to a report in the Charleston Daily Mail. Johnny Martin Brown, 45, has been implicated in the theft of three John Deere riding mowers on three separate occasions between June 4 and July 7 at a Lowe’s home improvement store in Charleston. The tractors were valued at $1,749 each.

ASouth Charleston detective told the newspaper that Brown is also suspected of stealing three patio sets, valued at $206, $399 and $449, from a pair of Kroger stores on the same day. In another incident, a patrolman responded to a shoplifting complaint at a third Kroger store where two men loaded a $369 gas grill into the back of their van and drove off without paying. Brown was later identified as the owner of the van, according to police.

Brown, who had previous convictions for petty larceny, was charged with several counts of grand larceny and incarcerated, the newspaper reported.