PENSACOLA, Fla. — A Pensacola boot shop is asking the community for some help.
Employees at “The Boot Store” say three people stole several pairs of boots on Tuesday morning. Surveillance cameras at the store caught them. They say this all happened within 10 minutes.
Staff members say this is the first time anything like this has happened at the store. Now, they’re working to make sure it’s the last. Images of the suspects were posted on social media by the the Boot Store.
“Hearing about it, it’s a little worrying,” Heather Decesaro, assistant manager at the Boot Store.
Decesaro wasn’t in the store during the robbery but she saw the tapes. She says the group walked in like normal customers and shopped around.
“Went in the aisles, found the boots they were wanting, had a tool they took out of their pocket and snipped the tags off and walked right back out the door,” said Decesaro.
They walked out of the store with the boots on their feet. Employees say they didn’t realize the shoes were gone until the end of the night, finding the broken tags hidden behind other merchandise.
Decesaro says the store has more than 5,000 pairs of shoes on the floor. She says one of the shoplifters took one of their most valuable pairs, custom made for the store.
“That one in particular is $689,” Decesaro said.
Decesaro says the group got away with more than $1,000 worth of boots. She says there’s a chance the group stole even more merchandise.
“I would love for them come back in and bring the boots back and explain why they did it, and of course, pay for them if they’re willing to,” Decesaro said. “If not, then they’ll end up in jail.”
Decesaro says the store is covered in cameras. There are also several signs on the walls as a warning. Less than 24 hours after the robbery employees are taking security a step further.
“Trying to make sure everything now has a security tag or maybe two to make sure it don’t happen again,” said Decesaro.
Staff say they filed a report after realizing the boots were missing. They say they are waiting to hear back from the sheriff’s office for next steps.
A new state law went to effect in 2024. It places harsher penalties on organized retail theft. With the new law, any retail theft involving a group of five or more is considered a third degree felony.
In this case, there’s only three people involved that WEAR News has been made aware of. If these people are found responsible for the missing boots, they could still face charges.
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