Myrtle Beach Home Depot employee reports another theft to police

A man was arrested and charged with obtaining goods under false pretenses after police said he took paint off a Home Depot store shelf and then returned it for cash.

Police were called about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to Home Depot at 951 Oak Forest Lane where a 37-year-old loss prevention associate reported the incident, according a to police report.

The store employee told police that Gary Nickerson, 35, was seen taking paint from a store shelf. Nickerson was detained by the employee after he returned the items in the store for cash, police said.

Nickerson was taken to the Myrtle Beach Jail.

Police have made several recent arrests in connection with shoplifting at the Home Depot store.

Officers were called at 10:15 a.m. Friday when a 37-year-old employee said he saw Walter Frank Painter, 21, take and conceal 13 brass hose shutoff valves and two packages of zip ties, according to a police report.

Painter was arrested and charged with shoplifting.

Home Depot employees also called police about two separate shoplifting incidents, both on Jan. 27.

Police were first called about 4 p.m. Jan. 27 when a loss prevention associate saw Jeret Lloyd Cox, 26, select several items, including a bath faucet, fans, and knives, and put different sale tags over the original sale stickers and purchase the items, authorities said.

Cox was arrested and charged with obtaining goods under false pretensions.

Officers were called back to the same Home Depot store for another shoplifting incident about 5 p.m. Jan. 27, according to a report.

Police said Joseph Francis Zebrowski, 37, was seen taking and concealing electrical outlets, which totaled to $135.90.

Authorities said they found cocaine on Zebrowski when they searched him at the Home Depot store. Zebrowski was arrested and taken to the Myrtle Beach Jail where he was charged with shoplifting and possession of cocaine.

This story was originally published February 12, 2015 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Myrtle Beach Home Depot employee reports another theft to police."