Caledonia police say a 44-year-old man with a history of drug problems stole 18 inhalers from Pick ‘n Save and faces almost four years in prison.
Matthew Finneran, of Caledonia, was charged Friday in Racine County Circuit Court with five misdemeanor counts of retail theft. If convicted, he faces up to 3-3/4 years in prison and/or up to $50,000 in fines.
According to the criminal complaint, store security at Pick ‘n Save, 5311 Douglas Avenue, was notified by management that the inventory of Benzedrex inhalers was being depleted too quickly. Surveillance video showed a man – later identified as Finneran – in a white baseball hat with another individual who used a store loyalty card to purchase items while Finneran stole inhalers.
Police say they went to the home of the individual to whom the loyalty card belonged, and they told officers that Finneran recently moved in has a history of drug use. The witness told police that Finneran does use their loyalty card when he goes to the store. Finneran was at the store during the conversation and returned while police were still on site.
During questioning, Finneran admitted to taking the inhalers on Oct. 10, 11, 16 and 17, the complaint reads. He told police that he was released from the hospital after a bad sinus infection, and he needed the inhalers to feel better but didn’t have the money to pay for them.
Finneran is accused of stealing 18 inhalers at $4.99 each for a total of $94.40.
He was assigned a $200 cash bond during his initial appearance, and online jail records indicate he was no longer in custody as of Saturday night. Finneran will next be in court Nov. 19 for a pre-trial conference.