An Oregon man was booked into jail after Washington state authorities caught him stealing over 100 rolls of toilet paper.
According to the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office, a witness spotted the suspect stealing from a home and called 911. The witness also followed the thief in his car until his cell phone ran out of service. Reporters said the accused thief started driving recklessly.
Deputies said they found the man hours later with over $1,000 worth of alleged stolen items. They added that the toilet paper was in the same unique packaging that was stolen from the home. The suspect was arrested and jailed. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.
"In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, WWSO makes the largest seizure of stolen toilet paper in agency history," deputies wrote in a Facebook post. They also called it "The Great Toilet Paper Caper of 2020."
Earlier this year, when the coronavirus pandemic started, retailers and stores had empty shelves and struggled to keep toilet paper stocked. While the frenzy has relaxed since then, experts fear people may start panic buying again from recently announced shutdowns and restrictions.
Some states, including Washington state and Oregon, have experienced spikes in COVID-19 cases over the last couple of weeks. As officials roll out renewed rules to curb the spread of the novel virus, stores have started placing limits on how much customers can buy packs of toilet paper again to stave off shortages.
Photo: Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office