Man accused of $300,000 retail theft arrested in Beaverton

BEAVERTON Ore. (KPTV) - A 35-year-old man was arrested Tuesday and charged with stealing at least $300,000 worth of merchandise from stores across the metro area, Tigard police announced on Thursday.

Austin Bailey was arrested after loss prevention employees in a Beaverton retail store recognized him and called police.

When Bailey saw the deputies, he took off running and police chased him on foot for a short distance before he was taken into custody.

Police said they also found more than 40 pills on Bailey that they suspected of containing fentanyl, meth and heroin.

Detectives have been investigating Bailey for nearly a year in connection with large-scale thefts from big box stores in Washington, Clackamas, Multnomah and Clark counties, and was indicted by a grand jury for theft-related charges in June.

Bailey is being held in the Washington County Jail and is facing 16 criminal charges of theft, identity theft and other criminal acts.