A 30-year-old man has been indicted on 42 counts involving organized retail theft and shoplifting connected to items taken from The Home Depot stores in Maricopa County, including those in Chandler, Mesa and Phoenix, authorities announced.

Jeremy James Beene is in custody on a $35,000 secured appearance bond.

The thefts focused primarily on expensive construction equipment, according to the indictment, which alleges from February 2022 through June 2024 the suspect removed nearly $60,000 in merchandise from the stores.

Authorities said the suspect can be seen on store surveillance videos.

“At the end of the day, we all pay for those who commit this type of crime,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said. “The loss to stores has a real domino effect and that is higher prices for consumers.”

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.