Police arrest man after attempted REI theft
– Police arrested a 62-year-old man on Tuesday after an attempted theft at the REI Co-Op store on Madonna Road.
According to the San Luis Obispo Police Department, store staff reported seeing Robert Wendell, a transient resident of San Luis Obispo, attempting to steal approximately $1,700 worth of merchandise by placing it into a bag. When confronted by employees, Wendell left the items behind and exited the store.
This was not Wendell’s first incident at the location. Police said he had been arrested for theft at the same REI store on June 12 and had recently served six months in jail following a burglary conviction related to a November incident at the same store.
Patrol officers located Wendell at a nearby bus stop on Madonna Road. He was arrested and booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of attempted second-degree burglary. Bail was set at $110,000. He remains in custody.
