On 5/5/15, at approximately 11:10 PM, officers with the Benton Police Department responded to Wal-Mart (17309 I-30) on report of a shoplifter that had ran from the store. Upon officers arrival, they made contact with store employees who informed them a subject, later identified as Anthony Wright (43 YOA) of Pine Bluff, had fled from the store after being confronted about not paying for items. Officers then made contact with Wright in the area of Murphy USA where he was trying to solicit a ride. He was taken into custody without further incident.
It was determined that Wright had allegedly attempted to steal over $500 worth of perfume and cologne from the store when confronted by employees. Wright also had an active warrant from our agency for Commercial Burglary and Shoplifting charges. These charges stem from an incident that took place on 5/3/15, also at Wal-Mart, where a 50” TV was allegedly stolen. Additionally, store employees also provided officers with documentation where Wright had been banned from all stores nationwide due to previous incidents involving him.
Wright was transported to the Saline County Detention Facility for processing without incident. He was charged with 2 counts of Commercial Burglary, 2 counts of Shoplifting, and Public Intoxication. Additionally, Wright also had active warrants out of the Bryant Police Department and North Little Rock Police Department. This is an on-going investigation and additional charges could be forthcoming.
Anyone with information about this crime is encouraged to contact the Benton Police Department at 501-778-1171 or 501-315-TIPS. Individuals also may send us an anonymous crime tip about this incident to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword BNPD in the body of the text or go to www.crimereports.com to leave a tip. A crime tip can also be submitted via the official Benton Police Department app found on ITunes and Google Play.
Any suspects listed are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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