Repeat Fleet Farm thief misses court date
By Jacob Mathias
Court Reporter
WOOD COUNTY — A bench warrant has been issued for a Stratford man who failed to make his initial appearance in court for three counts of retail theft, all from the Marshfield Fleet Farm store.
Christopher Gaffney, 30, of Stratford is charged with three counts of retail theft under $500, the first incident occurring on Sept. 11, 2014.
Gaffney was scheduled to appear in branch court on July 20 for his initial appearance after being served with a summons on June 30. The bench warrant issued on July 20 required Gaffney to appear before a judge and pay a $200 fine.
During the September incident, a Fleet Farm assistant manager contacted police after observing Gaffney opening packages and concealing them in his coat. Police arrested Gaffney in the parking lot for the theft of $93.55 worth of unspecified merchandise.
Later police observed Fleet Farm security camera footage from May 30 and 31 that showed Gaffney taking camera packages from the aisles then entering the bathroom. When Gaffney exited the bathroom he did not have the packages, but store employees found empty containers for the cameras that Gaffney had pulled from the shelves.
Police visited Gaffney’s home, where he admitted to stealing the cameras. He turned them over to police, and the cameras’ serial numbers matched those that were stolen.
Gaffney faces three counts of retail theft, a class A misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of nine months in jail, a $10,000 fine, or both.
A court date will be scheduled when Gaffney appears before a judge on his bench warrant.
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