An alleged coordinated effort to steal items from Walmart so the merchandise could be returned to another Walmart for more merchandise and/or shopping cards landed a South Bend man in the Kosciusko County Jail.

Dorian Skipper, 57, South Bend, faces one count of corrupt business influence, a level 5 felony, and two counts of theft, a Class A misdemeanor.

He was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 3:18 p.m. Wednesday on a preliminary charge of corrupt business influence. His bond was set at $11,000.

According to court documents, on Aug. 20 a Warsaw Police Department officer responded to a theft at Walmart in Warsaw. He spoke with Lisa Bronson, Walmart loss prevention, who said she was conducting an investigation into a theft that occurred on Aug. 19 when some of the same people returned to the store in an attempt to steal items again. Bronson said  the subjects were involved in a coordinated effort to steal items.

Officers identified the individuals who had been at the store on Aug. 19 and returned Aug. 20 as Skipper, Marchal Seuell and Vernard Tillman. Another man  was identified as Brian Metzger, who was there only on Aug. 20.

The WPD officer spoke with Bronson who said another Walmart employee had observed the suspect in the automotive section from a theft that occurred on Aug. 19 involving three male subjects and a female. Another Walmart employee saw Skipper, sitting in an electric shopping cart, select two DVD players and place them in Walmart bags, go to the front of the store, select a drink and pass all points of pay before being stopped by Walmart employees, according to the court documents.

Skipper was sitting on the two DVD players and allegedly admitted he did not pay for them. Seuell had come into the store with Skipper.

Bronson also said Metzger and Tillman arrived with Skipper and Seuell. Metzger allegedly had attempted to return items without a receipt but was denied because he had made a return at Plymouth Walmart.



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Bronson said she watched the surveillance video for Aug. 20. Four males arrive and Skipper exits the vehicle and then enters the store. The vehicle then drives to the Walmart Tire & Lube Express, then back to the front of the store, where Seuell obtains two shopping carts. Seuell and Metzger remove merchandise from the vehicle and place it in the carts. Metzger has two batteries and Seuell has two tents and two large containers of motor oil. They both entered the store and obtained return stickers from the greeter and go to the service desk.

Metzger attempts to return the batteries but is denied because of his earlier return at Plymouth Walmart. Seuell returns the tent and motor oil and receives a $144.32 refund.

Bronson said she began the investigation on Aug. 19 when an employee told her somebody wanted to return batteries that had just been purchased at a Walmart store that did not carry the batteries.

Bronson said she observed the surveillance videos of Aug. 19 and saw three men and a woman arrive in the same vehicle. Skipper exits the vehicle and obtains a shopping cart. Seuell and Tillman load two fans and automotive power station in the cart. Skipper enters the store with the merchandise, obtains return labels from the greeter and returns the items that had been purchased at a different Walmart the same day and received $143.06 on a shopping card.

Skipper then selects two DVD players and selects a wok and goes to the front of the store and meets with the woman, identified in the court document as Billie Black. Skipper then pushes the cart to the greeter and states he could not do the return because his ID had expired and he leaves the store past all points of pay with the merchandise. The greeter did not remember what Skipper had entered into Walmart with.

Seuell and Black go to the tire and lube to return two batteries. The Walmart employee is busy with customers, and Seuell selects a bottle of tea and a candy bar and eats the candy bar and drinks the tea, leaving the empty wrapper and bottle on the counter without paying for the items. They are told the batteries need to be taken to customer service since they do not stock those batteries at the store. Seuell selects a tool chest and socket set and purchases those with four shopping cards and receives a receipt. The Walmart employee asks Seuell if he was paying for the drink and candy and he advised he didn’t drink or eat anything and left the building.

Bronson then said Black returned the batteries with no receipt and identification. Tillman meets up with everyone and they unload the tools Seuell purchased. Tillman re-enters the store and selects a tool chest and socket set and walks to the exit door and shows a receipt originally obtained from Seuell’s purchase of the same items to the greeter and walks past all points of pay without paying for the items.

Bronson said there is a history with this group of subjects stealing with the same scheme all over Indiana and adjoining states.

The WPD officer spoke with an Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department officer who advised ECSD is investigating nine cases involving the common scheme and Seuell. The ECSD officer said he spoke with one of the subjects, who is homeless, and that subject said Seuell approached him and asked if he wanted to make some money. He wanted him to load merchandise into a cart and push it out the store and show a receipt that Seuell provided if the greeter asked for it.

Seuell was convicted of theft on Aug. 2, 2012, in Elkhart County Superior Court 5, according to court documents.

Skipper’s initial hearing is set for 1 p.m. Wednesday.