Man arrested for stealing Dyson vacuum cleaners from Target and selling one on Facebook Marketplace before he was caught

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Matthew Thomas Otto, 29, was arrested yesterday after allegedly stealing three Dyson vacuum cleaners from Target and selling one of them on Facebook Marketplace.

On January 29, a Loss Prevention Officer (LPO) at Target (3970 SW Archer Road) contacted a Gainesville Police Department officer about a suspect who had been in the store three times that week, stealing high-end Dyson vacuum cleaners. The LPO also reportedly found one of the vacuum cleaners listed on Facebook Marketplace under a female’s account.

The LPO showed the officer that the box in the Facebook Marketplace listing showed damage to the top that is consistent with the forceful removal of a spider-wire anti-theft device.

The officer learned that the same Facebook account had recently sold another high-end Dyson vacuum that matched a vacuum cleaner recently stolen from Target. The female’s account reportedly mentions a boyfriend, and the boyfriend’s picture was reportedly a “dead ringer” for the suspect seen in the Target surveillance video.

On January 31, an officer was already in the Target parking lot when the LPO reported that the same suspect was back in the store and tampering with two more Dyson vacuum cleaners valued at $950 each. The officer and LPO stayed outside while another LPO monitored the suspect, reportedly watching him pass all points of sale without paying for the two vacuum cleaners in his cart, which were missing the spider-wire anti-theft devices.

Otto was arrested outside the store. Post Miranda, Otto reportedly admitted to stealing a vacuum cleaner on January 29 and selling it on Facebook Marketplace. He said he does not have a phone and used his girlfriend’s phone and Facebook account to list the vacuum cleaner for sale, but he insisted that his girlfriend was not involved in any way. He also reportedly said that he has a job and steals to support his drug habit; he added, “When you need money, you need money.”

When asked whether the vacuum cleaner that was sold could be returned to Target, he reportedly said he had already sold it.

Otto, whose listed address is in Lake City, has been charged with two counts of grand theft and one count each of engaging in a scheme to defraud and dealing in stolen property. He has two local traffic misdemeanor convictions and no court records in Columbia County. Judge George Wright set bail at $12,500.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

  • Moving from Lake City to Gainesville wasn’t very bright. He had to compete with thousands of much brighter college students for “money”… 👿🤡

  • Off topic, but this is crisis stage.

    1. The Sec of the Treasury has given Musk and his crew access to the huge data base from which all federal checks are written, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Veteran’s Benefits are written. They are encamped in the building and reviewing and copying to their heart content. If you get any of these benefits, your privacy is compromised to a citizen not hired or cleared by the feds under normal requirements and one with many conflicts of interest with other US citizens and who regular talks to Putin and never criticizes China where he has business interests. You all cool with this?

    2. Everyone knows the president has started what the Wall Street Journal just called the “dumbest trade war in history” with our 2 closest neighbors, and in conflict with the trade agreement he personally negotiated in 2019, claiming it to be not only an improvement over NAFTA, but an assurance of fair trade and partnership that was bullet proof. Canada of course has come to our defense in every crisis we have faced, losing lives in some of them, and as recently as the California fires. All countries involved will suffer economically, including us, so don’t count on that promised drop in pricing at the grocery store.
    You all cool with this?

    3. Along with other foreign assistance, USAID, a functioning provider of health care to many of the world’s trouble spots which Ivanka heavily promoted in Trump’s last term has had all funding cut and with resultant death, disease, and tragedy for those least able to counter it, Remember that China is making serious in roads in the 3rd world while we are losing ground. You all cool with this?

    4. With the firings of FBI agents and DOJ attorneys and the offer to all federal employees to retire right now, the administration is waging a war on the hard won civil service structure of the government, aiming to put in place political appointees for those they get rid of. Of course that is what we had back in the 19th and early 20th century when each election came with a complete turn over in government staff – think Tammany Hall – with patronage appointees loyal to their party and record corruption. Some day – probably 2028 – democrats will be back in the WH and expect that turnover to not seem like such a good idea to whoever thinks it is now.
    You all cool with this?

    For literally no reason – see WSJ – we are now a worldwide pariah, being booed where recently we were cheered. I guess we’ll have no choice but America First because we heading straight to America Alone. Are you feeling lucky?

    • I’m not okay with it. Well, I may be okay with #4 but I’d have to see the reason for the firings.
      Trump has become even more unhinged and a greater threat to this country than China – despite his claims. Maybe this is the path of the United States’ playing an irrelevant role in the world prior to Armageddon.

      There was a huge mistake made last year…

      • Legal firings are fine and necessary, but an attempt to destroy the civil service system – which they have announced is their plan and which is now underway (see offer to every federal employee to retire) – is structural, and will result in a corrupt patronage system with yes men as gate keepers.

        • We know there’s plenty of those to go around.
          It’s unfortunate the gates many people claim to control aren’t working, and/or easily convinced to be opened.
          At least sheep know when to bleat before their demise.

    • I might add, the reason some are okay with it is because Trump told them to be okay with it.
      It’s not just liberals who are lemmings.

        • Huh? May want to rethink that. Try doing it without asking Trump what he thinks.
          He’ll say something like, ‘It’s the best, I must say probably the greatest, I mean we couldn’t do any better, than what I’ve done in the first month. No one will ever do better, it’s impossible because there isn’t anyone alive smarter or able to do what I’m able to do.’

    • Jazz you miss two points.

      Who cares if the tariff wars cause 10% inflation.
      Who cares if the Dow drops thousands.
      Who cares if eggs cost $10 a dozen.
      Who cares if gas is$4.
      Who cares if all US allies drop their friendship.
      Who cares if a convicted felon and rapist is president.
      Who cares if Elon steals a trillion from the taxpayers.
      Who cares if the US degenerates into a third world county.
      Who cares if Trump destroys the US Constitution.
      Who cares if Trump pardons every felon in a MAGA hat.

      No one in a red MAGA hat. They are willing to totally destroy America as long as Trump can pass a bill to ban abortion nationwide.

      Secondly, America is the land of Hopes and Dreams. In America, we can elect a dumb stupid POS felon as president, and with thoughts and prayers we hope the day he gets into office he turns into Gandhi.

      49% of this country want the destruction of America. They declared it in November. Just sit back and watch this country get destroyed. Too late to stop it.

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