A Montgomery County man arrested at a Home Depot in Silver Spring last week allegedly stole and returned thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise for cash refunds, county police said Tuesday.
Jaime R. Toledo, 51, of Silver Spring, was charged with 10 counts of theft following a nearly four-month spree allegedly netting him $6,300.
From Feb. 15 to May 4, Toledo repeatedly stole merchandise and returned it for a full cash refund, police said.
Stolen items ranged from boxes of nails and packages of toilet paper individually valued at less than $20 to major equipment, such as a lawn mower and pressure washer each worth several hundred dollars, according to charging documents.
Detectives were alerted in June by loss prevention personnel at the Broadbirch Drive store of a person making several suspicious refunds after almost every purchase.
Toledo was identified as a possible suspect, prompting investigators to audit his purchase history at the store and review surveillance video on the dates he bought items there.
Officers arrested Toledo on July 31 as he attempted to commit another theft at the Home Depot in Silver Spring, police said.
A warrant was obtained for his residence, and detectives recovered roughly $20,000 of property indicating Toledo may have been involved in other thefts in the area, police said.
Toledo was released from a county detention center after posting a $5,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Silver Spring District Court on Sept. 10.
A public defender representing Toldeo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Charlie Wright can be reached at charlie.wright@moco360.media
