A warrant is out for the arrest of a Bloomfield man accused of an unsuccessful attempt to shoplift several items including a police scanner, batteries, a lightbulb and a snap blade knife.

Marvin Leroy Brewer, 42, of Bloomfield, is wanted on a preliminary charge of theft where the defendant has a prior conviction for either theft or conversion, a Level 6 felony.

The warrant was issued on May 2 as a result of an investigation by Linton Police Officer John Agan.

Officer Agan was dispatched to Walmart in Linton back in mid-March after Walmart employees had stopped a man, later determined to be Brewer, they said they caught shoplifting.

When Officer Agan arrived, an employee explained he witnessed Brewer take a police scanner from the electronics department, hide it on his person then discard the packaging in another area of the store.

The employee said Brewer then went through checkout and purchased items in his cart but did not pay for the scanner. When Brewer completed his transaction and was exiting the store, employees stopped him. They told Officer Agan they then discovered Brewer had also concealed the other items on himself.

Officer Agan reported when he talked to Brewer, Brewer said he intended to sell the scanner and he took the knife in case he needed it to open more packages. Brewer allegedly admitted he did not intend to pay for the items and said he didn’t have enough money.

Officer Agan reviewed video surveillance provided by the store which he said confirmed the employee’s story.

A records check revealed Brewer was convicted of theft in Dubois County in 2009. According to court records, Brewer has a couple other criminal cases currently pending in Greene County.