TEMPE, AZ — Police have caught a man they say is responsible for 16 thefts in 17 months from a Tempe Home Depot.
On September 17 police captured Jose Pedro Uriarte, 41, on 16 counts of retail theft that Uriarte allegedly committed over the past 17 months at the Home Depot near Priest Drive and Baseline Road.
Police say Uriarte would steal "high dollar power tools and yard equipment." In total, he took over $8,500 worth of equipment from Home Depot.
On one occasion Uriarte reportedly threatened a worker with a machete that he had just stolen from the store.
Upon his arrest, he allegedly told police that he steals to support his daily heroin habit.
Court records show that Uriarte, who is in the U.S. illegally, has 13 prior arrests on similar charges and has failed to attend court appearances 21 times.
He now faces 16 counts of retail theft, and his next scheduled court appearance is September 25.
