Convicted thief now facing felony charge of organized fraud after reported theft at Target

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A man who, records show, has a history of stealing from Target stores explained to an investigator how he kept pulling it off.

Miles Poole, 34, of Jacksonville, is now facing a felony charge of organized fraud in Clay County after investigators said he repeatedly stole electronic items from a Target store. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the repeated thefts happened between early April and mid-May of 2021.

Investigators said that during every theft, Poole would pull an item off the shelf and throw it into a shopping cart then go into the restroom before walking out of the store undetected with the stolen electronic items. Once he left the store, investigators said, he was seen on surveillance video entering the same SUV and driving off.

In August 2021, Poole was captured in Jacksonville where he was a suspect in multiple thefts at various Jacksonville Target stores. Following his arrest, Poole was convicted on charges of organized theft and trafficking stolen property. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison, then rearrested on Monday in connection to the thefts in Clay County.

“It brings me joy to run out of a store with a bunch of s**t. And in my mind, f**k them, they’re multimillion-dollar companies. I love to get those mother******s,” Poole reportedly told the detective.

According to the arrest warrant, Poole told the detective that he kept getting away with stealing electronic items from Target by using a special key to unlock the security devices on the items while he was in the restrooms. He also told the detective that once the security device was removed, he would either throw the device in the toilet or place it in the trash.

Poole reportedly told the detective that he mainly stole Fitbit watches because they were easier to sell online and on the streets.