Verde Valley News – On October 21, 2024, Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Michael Bluff sentenced 26-year-old Andrew James Cook, of Prescott Valley, Arizona to 2.5 years in prison for Organized Retail Theft. Judge Bluff also sentenced Cook to a concurrent one year prison term for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and imposed six month jail sentences for DUI and Resisting Arrest.
Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane stated, “Shoplifting and Organized Retail Theft have no place in Yavapai County. These crimes drive up prices for everyone, endanger employees and customers, and can be financially devastating to businesses. Too many communities in other parts of the country have had business leave because shoplifters are not prosecuted. I hope the prison sentence imposed in this case serves as a deterrent to others who believe they are entitled to steal instead of working an honest job.” McGrane commended the Cottonwood Police Department and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office on their thorough investigations, and also praised the Walmart loss prevention officer who first determined Cook’s identity.
The investigation revealed that on November 19, 2023, Cook and an unknown accomplice walked into a Walmart in Cottonwood, Arizona, and grabbed a blanket and a shopping cart. The two men went to the jewelry section where they placed a display case containing over $1,000 worth of watches inside the blanket. The men then pushed the cart out of the store without paying. When the theft was discovered, a Walmart loss prevention officer reviewed surveillance video and noticed one of the men was wearing a sweatshirt bearing the name of a local business. The employee called the business and learned the man was Andrew Cook.
Six days later, alert deputies with the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office found Cook sitting near a bag of methamphetamine inside a vehicle that had been stopped during an unrelated incident. Cook scuffled with the deputies when they tried to arrest him. During subsequent questioning, Cook eventually admitted his involvement in the theft of the watches.