$3.5K in Magic: The Gathering cards stolen from locked GameStop cases with employee device

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A Coconut Creek man is accused of pulling off a pair of high-dollar thefts from Palm Beach County video game stores, and police say he did it using a device usually reserved for employees.

The Palm Springs Police Department said that 35-year-old Darrious Lamar Davis is facing felony charges on Tuesday after investigators say he stole more than $3,500 worth of merchandise from two GameStop locations in one afternoon.

The case came to light after the manager of a Palm Springs GameStop noticed merchandise missing during an inventory check. Police say the items — nine Magic: The Gathering Avatar Play Booster Box sets — were taken from a locked display case sometime on Jan. 8.

When officers reviewed surveillance video, they said they saw a man walk into the store, unlock the cabinet, and remove the merchandise before leaving without paying. Police estimated the value of the stolen items at just over $3,500.

Investigators later determined a similar theft had happened earlier the same day at another GameStop on Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach. That store also reported locked display cases being opened and high-value items taken.

See also: USF double murder suspect denied bond as victim’s remains found and death penalty looms

Police say both thefts happened within about 30 minutes of each other and were carried out in nearly identical ways. In both cases, the suspect allegedly used a magnetic locking device — something typically provided only to employees — to access the secured cases.

On Jan. 20, West Palm Beach police were called to the Okeechobee Boulevard GameStop after Davis reportedly returned to the store. Officers arrested him and said they found a magnetic unlocking device, a tan backpack, and a black dreadlock wig believed to have been used during the thefts.

Because the thefts occurred within a 30-day period and involved similar items and methods, police were able to combine the value of the stolen merchandise under Florida law, elevating the charges to felonies.

Darrious Lamar Davis, 35, of Coconut Creek, is accused of stealing more than $3,500 in merchandise from two Palm Beach County GameStop stores by using a magnetic device to unlock secured display cases, according to police. (AP | Palm Beach Co. Jail)

Court records show a warrant was later issued by the PSPD, and Davis was taken into custody on April 28.