A group of people in their 20s were caught attempting to return items stolen at one Auto Zone store to another Auto Zone location in Bremerton July 2.

The group entered Auto Zone on Sixth Street at about 3:33 p.m. and one of the members, a 27-year-old Skyway man, said he wanted to exchange items he had previously purchased. The employee had received a call from another employee saying that a group of people had been at the State Highway 303 location 15 minutes prior and walked out the store without paying for items.

When a police officer arrived and asked the group about stolen merchandise, they all denied knowing what the cop was referring to. The officer talked to a 27-year-old Bremerton woman away from everyone else — she was the only female in the group — and asked her what happened. She was reluctant at first but eventually told the officer that because of her history with stealing, the men had asked for her help and that she had placed items into her purse while in the restroom at the other Auto Zone location that the group had entered earlier. She said it was her plan.

The employee said all four of the people were not allowed back at any Auto Zone stores and the officer explained to them that they could be arrested for trespassing if they returned. The officer requested charges be pressed through the prosecutor’s office for the four individuals for third-degree theft and first-degree trafficking of stolen property.