MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS News) - Investigators with the Murfreesboro Police Department say a coordinated shoplifting operation centered around high-priced electric toothbrushes has been shut down following an investigation aided by automated license plate reader technology. Authorities announced Tuesday that 28-year-old Devonta Gooden, 18-year-old Deasia White, and 36-year-old Shaun Leggs were arrested June 4 in connection to what detectives described as an organized retail theft scheme targeting the Walmart store on Old Fort Parkway (Scroll down for a larger photo).
According to police, analysts assigned to the department’s Real Time Crime Center utilized automated license plate reader, or ALPR, systems to identify a vehicle allegedly connected to the incidents. Detectives later tied the occupants of the automobile to multiple fraudulent refund transactions involving stolen merchandise.
Investigators allege the operation involved one participant entering the retailer, filling a bag with electric toothbrushes, and leaving the business without paying for the products. Another individual would then reportedly return the unpaid merchandise to customer service without a receipt in exchange for store gift cards.
Police said the alleged activity resulted in thousands of dollars in losses connected to the repeated thefts and refund exchanges. During the arrests, officers also reportedly recovered additional premium merchandise inside the suspects’ vehicle that had allegedly been taken from the same store shortly beforehand.
Each defendant has been charged under Tennessee’s Organized Retail Crime Prevention Act, legislation specifically aimed at combating coordinated shoplifting operations involving substantial financial losses over a period of time. (T.C.A. § 39-14-113).
Court documents indicate White additionally faces misdemeanor charges of simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Organized Retail Crime Prevention Act was originally approved by Tennessee lawmakers in 2017 to address increasingly sophisticated theft operations designed to resell merchandise or fraudulently obtain refunds for profit. State officials have since revised portions of the law in an effort to adapt to changing tactics, including updates adopted in 2025.
Authorities said the statute applies when multiple individuals allegedly work together to steal goods exceeding $1,000 in value within a 90-day timeframe with the intent to sell, exchange, or fraudulently return the property.
Jail records show all three Nashville residents were booked into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center before later securing release on $3,000 bond each.
Gooden, White, and Leggs are scheduled to appear in Rutherford County General Sessions Court on July 9. During that hearing, the cases could potentially be reviewed for presentation to a grand jury.
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