Sunglass Hut: Man stole over $140K of goods from stores, police say

A 22-year-old man is accused of stealing more than $140,000 of merchandise from Las Vegas Sunglass Hut stores over the course of the past few months.

Kenneth Alston was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Thursday on seven counts of theft and one count of participation in an organized retail theft ring.

An arrest report lists seven instances of theft throughout June and early July at Sunglass Hut, four of which occurred at Las Vegas Premium Outlets South, and three others at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort on the Strip.

In each instance, Alston is alleged to have stolen over $10,000 of merchandise, including $18,632 on July 3. In total, he is accused of stealing $90,109 in June and July, according to the report.

At around 10 p.m. on July 3, the Metropolitan Police Department received a notification for a suspicious vehicle, a 2019 Nissan Versa displaying a California license plate, headed east on Charleston Boulevard. The car was the suspect vehicle for a grand larceny on July 3, police said.

Officers tried to pull the car over, but the driver continued to the intersection of Vegas Valley Drive and Topaz Road.

The front passenger, later identified as Alston, stepped out of the car and headed south of the intersection, but he was caught by police, who took him into custody. Police found a bag with sunglasses with merchandise tags that Alston dropped when he got out of the car, as well as more in the car, according to the report.

Police said Alston confessed to stealing merchandise with the intent to resell it for cash.

He told police he sold the sunglasses to the owner of Coveted at Las Vegas Premium Outlets South.

Alston said he used Instagram and text messages to communicate with the owner, whose name is redacted from the report, and he told officers the owner had arranged Uber rides for Alston to take him to and from the Sunglass Hut, according to police.

Last week, Alston met the Coveted owner at Sam’s Town, where he received over $700 for some of the sunglasses, according to the report.

The store’s Instagram page displays multiple posts of Prada sunglasses, including a pair selling for $170 posted one week ago. It also sells sneakers and luxury streetwear brands. The store’s owner could not be reached for comment.

The report details the seven instances in June and July, including employee accounts as well as descriptions of surveillance accounts.

On June 4, Alston is accused of placing 35 pairs of Prada sunglasses into his backpack. The person who reported the call said that he had pushed or kicked security. In another instance, Alston is accused of threatening to use a gun on an employee if they did not move, according to the report.

Alston also was arrested on May 28 for eight thefts at Sunglass Hut in April and May involving $49,254 of merchandise, according to the arrest report. He was released on May 29 on the condition that he stay away from the Sunglass Hut at 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

“Kenneth is a frequent flyer and has stolen from Sunglass Hut on many occasions,” a Sunglass Hut employee said in the report.

Alston is being held in the Clark County Detention Center on $25,000 bail.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com.