BELLEVUE, Wash. — Four people accused of stealing from a high-end retail store in Bellevue faced a King County judge on Monday for charges ranging from organized retail theft to trafficking stolen property.
Surveillance video captured in June of this year shows the moment three people helped themselves to tens of thousands of dollars in designer bags at a Louis Vuitton store.
“One of the things that got our attention is that they are so brazen and so organized that it’s really risen to a higher level at least in the last couple of months,” said Capt. Shelby Shearer of the Bellevue Police Department.
Investigators identified the three as Billy Chambers, Memory Yearby, and Earnetra Turner. They’re accused of running an organized retail theft ring and hitting the same designer store twice in less than a week knocking off more than $54,000 dollars in merchandise.
Monday morning Billy Chambers pleaded not guilty and as of Monday afternoon remained in jail held on $25,000 bail. Court documents show that Chambers, as a teenager, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for his role in the 2009 death of a beloved street musician known as Tuba Man.
All four suspects who faced a judge bring with them a criminal history.
Two of the suspects, Memory Yearby and Earnetra Turner were already under investigation for organized retail theft. Items they’re accused of stealing and listing on the website OfferUp – an undercover officer spotted this listing and arranged for an in-person buy inside a Bellevue hotel.
That's where the fourth suspect, Trey Kendall, was arrested. Kendall pleaded not guilty to trafficking stolen goods. Court records show Kendall was convicted of second-degree murder in 1997. A judge decided Kendall could be released under the promise of returning to court.
Just this summer the Washington State Attorney General launched the Organized Retail Crime Theft Taskforce in response to the almost 70 billion dollars in losses they say retailers suffer due to theft across the country every year.