Bevo Man Stole from Same Target Store 7 Times in One Month

He walked in with two duffle bags, loaded them up and walked out, police say

May 31, 2023 at 8:11 am

Target store at Hampton and Chippewa.

After stealing successfully six times from the Target at Hampton Avenue and Chippewa Street in May alone, Nicholas Pannell pressed his luck with a seventh trip that proved to be one too many.

The 39-year-old was arrested on Friday and charged with 12 counts of stealing from the store.

That day he'd allegedly walked into the store with two duffle bags, which he loaded up with items and then left without paying, according to a police probable cause statement.

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A security guard attempted to stop Pannell, to no avail. But police found him not far from the store, where he told an officer, "I took the items."

Another Target security guard told police he recognized Pannell from "several face-to-face encounters with [Pannell] while he was stealing from the store."

According to the probable cause statement, Friday was the 12th time Pannell hit the south city store overall. He'd also allegedly stolen from it once in February, as well as twice in March and April. On one occasion, he stole more than $570 worth of merchandise, and he nabbed about $2,650 in total merchandise from the dozen incidents that are documented on surveillance footage.

Pannell is currently in the city jail. He has three prior stealing convictions.