Crime & Safety

San Francisco Man Accused of Stealing $4,000 in Sporting Gear, Kitchen Products at Town Center

Police arrest 54-year-old man on a host of burglary-related charges after employee at Columbine in Corte Madera Town Center recognized him from an earlier incident.

Central Marin Police arrested a 54-year-old San Francisco man Tuesday on a host of allegations that he stole $4,000 in merchandise in a pair of shoplifting incidents at a kitchen store and a sporting goods store in the Corte Madera Town Center.

Carl Hostetter was arrested Tuesday at around 4 p.m. Tuesday at a bus stop at Tamalpais Dr. and Hwy. 101, according to police. Hostetter was detained on suspicion of commercial burglary, possession of stolen property, a no-bail felony warrant from a previous burglary charge and possession of burglary tools, as he was carrying stolen items in a foil-lined bag to security detectors.

Police said they were tipped off Tuesday afternoon by an employee at Columbine, a kitchen retail shop in the Town Center. The employee said a man they recognized from a pair of shoplifting incidents – of $2,600 in merchandise on June 18 and another $400 in a separate theft – was in the store.

Mall security followed the man out of the store, and told police that he jumped over a fence in leaving the area. Police later arrested Hostetter at the bus stop.

Police said they Hostetter was in possession of nearly $950 worth of merchandise reported stolen from Sports Authority Elite at the Town Center. Police said the items were inside a foil-lined bag, often referred to as a booster bag

Hostetter was booked into Marin County Jail, where he remains in custody.


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