Man hid six pairs of stolen shoes in his trousers

A Boynton Beach man who ran from a Sears store with six pairs of shoes stuffed down his trousers was caught along with his crack pipe-toting female accomplice shortly after they drove away, according to an arrest report from the Boynton Beach Police Department in Florida. James Lynch, 52, and Carol Reynolds, 46, were arrested minutes after police say Reynolds drove away from the Boynton Beach Mall Sears store at 801 N. Congress Ave. with Lynch in the passenger seat of a silver Saturn.

The failed shoe heist began at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday when according to police, Lynch walked into the store and went straight to the shoe department. At the same time, a Sears security guard was watching Lynch on the store's surveillance video. The guard said he watched as Lynch grabbed six pairs of shoes worth about $360, take them out of their boxes, and shove them into his baggy pants. According to the report, the guard began to approach Lynch, who started to run. The guard chased Lynch, who ran past the idling silver Saturn shouting "Come on b-----, let's go!"



When the car started to pull away, Lynch jumped into the passenger seat and the car sped away. It was a clean getaway — but not for long. Within moments, the security guard flagged down a passing patrol car. While police were broadcasting the information over police radio, another Boynton Beach police officer saw the silver Saturn and stopped it in the 100 block of Northeast 27th Avenue in Boynton Beach. Police then brought the security guard over to the stopped car, where he identified the pair as the shoplifters.

Lynch and Reynolds were arrested at 5:26 p.m. Three pairs of shoes were found in the car, police said. While searching the Saturn, cops also found a crack pipe in Reynolds' possession. Lynch was charged with grand retail theft, possession of cocaine, and tampering with evidence. He is still in custody. Reynolds was charged with grand retail theft and possession of paraphernalia. She was released on Thursday afternoon.