One Philadelphia man could not resist the allure of Michael Kors handbags when he visited the Oxford Valley Mall on December 30, police allege. His reported fascination has landed him in Bucks County prison.
On December 30 at 6 p.m., Middletown Township police responded to the Macy’s anchor store at the Oxford Valley Mall, located at 2300 East Lincoln Highway, to investigate the report of a retail theft in progress.
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Upon arrival, the subject, identified as 39-year-old Francis Edward Kirby of Philadelphia, had been stopped by store security and had fled on foot into the Macy’s parking lot, police noted in an affidavit of probable cause. He was soon apprehended by police.
Police said they spoke with a Loss Prevention (LP) manager who testified to police she had observed Kirby via CCTV in the men’s department of the store. According to the LP manager, she recognized Kirby from pictures of a previous theft incident.
According to court documents, Kirby had selected Tommy Hilfiger merchandise and approximately eight to 10 Michael Kors handbags before selecting another handbag and concealing it under the other merchandise. Kirby was in the process of exiting the store via the lower level doors that face Red Robin when he was confronted by security, police said.
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According to the LP manager, it was then that Kirby broke free from them and was later apprehended by police. An estimated $2350 in merchandise was recovered.
Kirby was charged with retail theft and receiving stolen property. He was arraigned on December 30 by Judge John J. Kelly Jr. and sent to Bucks County Prison on 10 percent of $70,000. A preliminary hearing for Kirby is set for January 8.
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Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
