Watch Your Spare Tires; Shoplifter's Trick Doesn't Work: Police Blotter

Fairlawn police got two reports of spare tires stolen from Jeeps last week.

In one case, a woman said she parked her Jeep Wrangler at PetSmart on West Market Street March 5 and came out to find the spare tire, valued at $700, gone.

She reported the theft March 13.

A day earlier, a man who parked near Firestone at Summit Mall found someone had used a lug wrench or other tool to remove the spare tire from his Jeep.

Shoplifter Gets Creative

A security officer at Dillard's got suspicious March 13 when he saw a man leave the fitting room with fewer shirts than he went in with.

He also recognized the shopper as someone with a prior shoplifting arrest who had been banned from the store.

The officer found Polo shirts valued at $229 inside an Nike shoebox, which the man was carrying in a Finish Line bag.

Bold Move

A shopper at Earth Fare loaded six juicers worth $1,049 into her cart March 9 and moved it near the door.

She was able to later push the cart out to a car and get away, a report said.