A Meridian man is in the Ada County Jail, arrested after police say he was responsible for some twenty recent credit card thefts from local health clubs.
Jacob Bradley Edom, 24, faces three felony burglary charges, seven felony grand theft charges, one charge of felony grand theft by receiving stolen property, felony fraudulent appropriation of personal information, and a misdemeanor drug paraphernalia charge.
“Our first report came in on February 11th, of a wallet and credit cards being stolen from an unlocked locker at a local gym,” said Meridian Deputy Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea. “Shortly thereafter, we learned the stolen credit card had been used to make a gift card purchase at a local retailer.”
Three such thefts were reported in Meridian and some seventeen similar thefts in Boise in the weeks following, according to Basterechea.
“We’ve cleared about twenty cases with this arrest, in which the suspect used the same M.O.,” he said.
Police say the subsequent gift card purchases range from several hundred to about one-thousand dollars.
“On Friday evening, a wallet and credit cards were reported stolen from Gold’s Gym in Meridian,” Basterrechea stated. “A short time thereafter, a stolen credit card was reported used at Rosauers grocery store.”
Officers who were investigating the theft suspected Edom, and went to his home in the 2000 block of North Leann Way.
Edom was arrested without incident.
He was booked into the Ada County Jail shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday.
Many of the thefts were made from unsecured lockers. “If you are going to use a fitness gym, make sure your personal belongings are locked away,” Basterrechea said.
Police believe there may be more victims.
Edom is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Ada County.
