ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A self-admitted thief already serving parole and probation will appear in court on Monday for running a ticket-switching scam at a Chesterfield hardware store.

According to the Chesterfield Police Department’s probable cause statement, a loss prevention employee at Lowe’s contacted authorities on Sept. 25 and reported David L. Willyard had been stealing from multiple stores since Aug. 19.

Police said Willyard was caught attempting to ticket-switch merchandise at the Wentzville Lowe’s store but was unsuccessful and left the store. Employees shared a description of both Willyard and his vehicle with investigators.

Lowe’s ultimately confirmed Willyard had successfully completed a ticket-switch theft on several prior occasions. Willyard would take tickets of lower-priced merchandise and put them on higher-priced items and then go to the self-checkout line. He would scan the lower price and pay the cheaper amount.

Chesterfield police said Willyard went to the Lowe’s on Sept. 1 and purchased a Porta Cool Apex 500, worth $1,099, for approximately one-tenth of that amount. On Sept. 3, Willyard returned to the store and bought a 12-foot Immortal Nightwalker, priced at $449, and paid just $39 for it. He went back to the store on Sept. 9 and picked out a Larson 36-inch storm door and a Masonite 36-inch front door, worth $399 and $498, respectively, and paid only $163.65.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Willyard with two counts of stealing – $750 or more. He remains jailed on a $50,000 cash-only bond.

Police said Willyard is currently on dual status with probation and parole after pleading guilty on May 6 to stealing - $25,000 or more in Ste. Genevieve County. He was sentenced to 10 years - suspended execution of sentence, with five years of probation.