Racine police say a 26-year-old man is facing felony retail theft charges after he admitted stealing 64 DVDs from Family Video on Lathrop Avenue.
Michael Johann was charged Friday in Racine County Circuit Court with one felony count of retail theft, anti-
theft remover. If convicted, he faces up to 3-1/2 years in prison and/or up to $10,000 in fines. Because he is considered a repeat offender, Johann could get extra jail time added to any sentence he might receive.
According to the criminal complaint, employees of Family Video, 2065 Lathrop Avenue, told police that Johann was in the store multiple times over a period of several weeks. They said he would walk around the store for “long periods of time” but would leave without renting anything. AÂ customer also reporting seeing him stealing items, and he was identified because he filled out a job application for a position at the store.
Police say that employees also helped identify Johann through Facebook posts on which he was trying to sell DVDs clearly marked with the Family Video barcode. When officers went to Johann’s residence, he admitted to taking a number of DVDs and pulled from a bread box and a bag he kept in a bedroom a total of 64 DVDs and games totaling $829.59.
Johann remains in the Racine County Jail on a cash bond of $200. He will next be in court Dec. 30 for his preliminary hearing.