A Maricopa man was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly stole an intoxicated man’s ID, credit cards and shoes following an August casino trip.
Police found an “extremely intoxicated” man passed out on a sidewalk around 8:40 a.m. on Aug. 24 near Dancer Lane and Rainbow Drive in Maricopa Meadows.
The man, who was not identified, was not wearing shoes and did not remember how he got there, according to a probable cause statement. Officers had him transported to a local hospital, where he claimed a man stole his shoes and a wallet with his ID and credit cards.
Ak-Chin police initially investigated the case and found Derek Lipp gambling with the victim on security footage at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino. The footage showed the two men enter Lipp’s car and sit in it for roughly two hours before the pair drove away with the “victim slumped over in an apparent unconscious state.”
At the time, police contacted Lipp at his house where he admitted to being with the victim and said that the victim only left his shoes, which Lipp then retrieved from his car.
However, Walmart security footage showed that shortly after the victim was found unconscious, Lipp used the man’s credit card to purchase a chain necklace valued around $400.
When police arrested Lipp Tuesday afternoon, he denied stealing or using the victim’s credit card. Officers did not find the wallet or cards during a search of the home.
Lipp was booked into Pinal County Jail on charges of trafficking in stolen property, fraud use of a credit card over $250 and theft. If convicted on all charges Lipp faces more than 17 years in prison.
