It didn’t take Marietta police long to solve a shoplifting caper at a local pawn shop.
That’s because the alleged criminal gave all of his driver’s license information and fingerprint to the pawn shop before video showed him stealing a knife off the counter, Marietta police said.
And 10 hours after the incident, the man was in jail.
Dale Tice of Kennesaw was booked early Tuesday on a shoplifting charge, according to jail records.
Tice, 32, was arrested about 2 a.m. at the White Columns Inn on Cobb Parkway, according to an arrest warrant.
During the arrest in his hotel room, officers found marijuana and assorted illegal pills, the warrant said. He was also booked on five drugs charges, three of which are felonies.
His original shoplifting charge is a misdemeanor.
According to an incident report, Tice went into The Hock Shop on Cobb Parkway about 4:30 p.m. Monday to pawn a $5 ratchet.
Just like with any pawn shop purchase, he gave his driver’s license information and phone number.
While the clerk was printing the ticket, video captured Tice taking a $200 military-style knife from the counter, according to the report.
With the stolen item in his pocket, Tice gave his fingerprint to the clerk for the ratchet he came in to pawn, which is also required, police said. Then he left the store.
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The Marietta Police Department posted about the incident a few hours after it happened making fun of Tice for giving all his information before allegedly stealing the knife.
"When you make it this easy it takes all the fun out of chasing bad guys," the post read.
The post has more than 500 shares along with 1,800 reactions and almost 100 comments.
Police spokeswoman Brittany Wallace said she didn’t expect the post to garner that much attention.
Tice has been given a bond of $11,220.
