SMYRNA, Tenn. - Earlier this month, on July 5, a man reportedly walked into the Lowe’s store in Smyrna to do a little bargain browsing and allegedly left with considerably more than he paid for.
Once inside the mighty home improvement store, the man reportedly hit the aisles and selected a few tools. There is certainly nothing unusual about shopping for tools. Contractors, homeowners and weekend do-it-yourselfers do it every day.
The trouble apparently began to brew when the bargain became a little too good to be true - at least for the person leaving the store. Smyrna Police suggest the merchandise in question allegedly made it out of the store without the man’s wallet ever being called into service.
The merchandise involved in this story included the trademark yellow-and-black DeWalt brand, a popular choice among contractors, mechanics and homeowners who believe nearly every household problem can be solved with enough battery power. Tool users may debate DeWalt, Bosch, Milwaukee and other brands for hours, but detectives are not currently seeking opinions on torque, grip or battery life. They're trying to identify the unknown man involved in this recent incident.
So, forget how the equipment feels in your hands and focus on the person caught on camera. Surveillance footage reportedly leaves several questions unanswered, including how someone allegedly walked out of the store at about the same time that approximately $1,400 worth of DeWalt merchandise bypassed the checkout process.
The Smyrna Police Department said the man seen in the surveillance footage “left without paying for DeWalt brand items valued at about $1,400.” In other words, the tools apparently received a free ride out of the store while one of the most important tools a shopper can carry - a wallet - remained safely closed.
Authorities are now hoping to use a few investigative tools of their own to determine where the merchandise went and, more importantly, identify the unknown man shown in the security footage. Depending on what detectives uncover, additional tools available to law enforcement could eventually include handcuffs, paperwork and a scheduled visit to court.
The man reportedly left the area in a white Nissan Rogue. While it may not be the first vehicle that comes to mind when imagining a rugged construction crew arriving at a job site, it could prove capable of transporting a substantial amount of unpaid home improvement merchandise. The vehicle appeared to be a second-generation Rogue, a model produced between 2014 and 2020.
Anyone who recognizes the man or has information that could help with the investigation is encouraged to contact Smyrna Police Detective Steve Martin by email at steve.martin@townofsmyrna.org or by telephone at 615-267-5432.
PHOTOS RELEASED BY SMYRNA, TN POLICE
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