A man accused of stealing approximately $35,000 worth of merchandise from the Belk department store in the Avenue has been arrested. Christopher Smith reportedly stole merchandise from the store while working in receiving. A loss prevention officer is the one who discovered the theft.  

The employee would allegedly take the merchandise and then ship it to his house, charging Belk for the shipping. Smith, who already had an outstanding warrant from Smyrna, was charged with theft over $1,000. He was booked into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.