Staff Report

Jerome Lee Vaughn White

WARSAW — A South Bend man was arrested after allegedly stealing two televisions from Meijer in Warsaw.

Jerome Lee Vaughn White, 32, South Bend, is charged with theft, a level 6 felony.

On April 27, a Warsaw Police officer responded to Meijer regarding a man who stole two televisions and left in a blue vehicle. Upon arrival at the store, the officer was informed that the suspect vehicle was stopped by another Warsaw officer.

The vehicle’s driver was identified as White. Two televisions were found inside.

According to court documents, the store’s manager said she was working in the back of the store when she received multiple phone calls from employees about an alarm going off. She was then informed that a man, later identified as White, was stealing televisions and had left through the store’s northwest doors. The manager went to the doors and saw White loading televisions into the vehicle.

The manager also said White had left behind a cart of other items he did not pay for in the parking lot before fleeing.

The items left behind in the parking lot by White were various fragrance bottles and other merchandise, totaling $1,491.95. The stolen televisions had a combined value of $802.48. Officers matched the universal product codes of the televisions White had to the ones that were stolen from Meijer.

Officers then spoke with an employee who saw the theft occur. She heard the alarm for the store’s west doors go off and saw White attempting to leave with two televisions on top of his cart and multiple other items in the cart. She, along with other employees, followed White out of the store and took pictures of his vehicle.

White was arrested for theft at that time and was also arrested on an outstanding warrant from St. Joseph County. The stolen merchandise was returned to Meijer.

White has been released from the Kosciusko County Jail on his own recognizance. He has an initial hearing at 1 p.m. June 3, in Kosciusko Superior Court Two.