An Idaho man’s theft scheme involving a literal crime ring and a soup barcode just landed him in the can.
Dylan Rockwell, 32, admitted to police that he used a ring with a hidden barcode for tomato soup to steal high-value items from Walmart in Caldwell, a suburb of Boise, the Caldwell Police Department said in a release on Monday.
Rockwell allegedly scanned the ring instead of the actual product barcodes to pay a fraction of their cost, the release said.
The incident occurred Sunday evening after officers responded to a reported theft in progress at Walmart. While police were en route to the scene, Rockwell exited the store and was heading westbound on Cleveland Boulevard in his vehicle, CPD said.
Rockwell was detained at his residence and the stolen merchandise, including a grill valued at $300, was recovered. CPD said Rockwell admitted during questioning to committing multiple thefts at Walmart over an unspecified period of time.
Rockwell was arrested and charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor petit theft, according to Canyon County online booking records. It was unclear if he had legal representation.
“Sorry Mr. Rockwell, your tactics didn’t work this time but we appreciate your creativity,” Caldwell Chief of Police Rex Ingram said in the release. “We know that times are tough but your ingenuity got you some county soup for dinner.”
Rockwell is still in custody at the Canyon County Jail as of Thursday, officials confirmed to NBC News.
