Man’s theft spree in Aspen includes roll of fake grass, Prada items
A 61-year-old man wearing a plaid shirt and carrying a roll of stolen AstroTurf was arrested Monday and charged with stealing from several high-end Aspen stores, according to court documents.
Randy Marcuson admitted to some of the thefts from downtown stores including Prada, Dolce and Gabbana and Moncler, and was charged with three felonies — theft, identity theft and forgery — according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed Tuesday in Pitkin County District Court.
The incident began just after 10 a.m. Monday, when a Missouri resident called Aspen police to report that someone stole her purse from Shakti Shala while she was in a yoga class, the affidavit states. A sergeant who took the report advised the woman to call and cancel her credit cards.
The woman then learned that her credit cards had been used within the hour at Aspen Sports, Moncler and to buy a Roaring Fork Transportation Authority bus pass at Rubey Park, according to the affidavit. The woman called police again and reported what she learned.
At about the same time, emergency dispatchers received a call from Moncler saying that a man had just stolen a “cellphone pouch” valued at $395 after trying to purchase it with what appeared to be a stolen credit card, the affidavit states.
“The suspect description aired by dispatch was an older man wearing plaid and ‘carrying new ski poles and a roll of AstroTurf,’” according to the affidavit.
A police officer on routine foot patrol then spotted Marcuson at the intersection of Main and Mill streets. When asked for identification, Marcuson handed the officer the Missouri driver’s license and credit cards belonging to the woman who made the original theft report after yoga, the affidavit states.
The officer then arrested Marcuson and took him to jail.
The property in his possession included the AstroTurf, the ski poles, the bus pass, a $300 credit card wallet from Bottega Veneta, a $475 leather wallet from Brunello Cucinelli, a pair of Brunello Cucinelli leather gloves valued at $875, a $395 Dolce and Gabbana mini-purse, a pair of Prada sunglasses valued at $290, a $250 Prada credit card wallet and the Moncler cell phone wallet, according to the affidavit.
The ski poles and bus pass were purchased with the Missouri woman’s credit cards, while the rest of the items were later confirmed to be stolen.
“In fact, Prada employees know Randy Marcuson as he is a frequent customer and he was shopping in the store on or about Nov. 8,” the affidavit states.
Marcuson told police he rode the bus to Aspen from Gerbazdale on Monday morning and stole the unattended purse from Shakti Shala.
He then admitted to using the credit cards to buy the ski poles, the bus pass and the AstroTurf from Ace Hardware, though employees there later confirmed the roll of fake grass was indeed stolen. Marcuson also admitted he stole one of the credit card wallets and the mini-purse, according to the affidavit.