Roy Pughsley was charged with burglary and felony retail theft weeks after the alleged incident
Credit: Chicago Police Dept.
NEED TO KNOW
- Roy Pughsley allegedly stayed overnight at a Macy’s in Chicago on June 28, stealing clothing and food before leaving early in the morning
- Authorities identified Pughsley weeks later after he was spotted outside the store wearing the same shoes and backpack
- Pughsley has been arrested 25 times in Chicago since 2017, including in connection with weapon charges and trespassing in June
A man was arrested weeks after he allegedly shoplifted overnight at a Macy’s in Chicago in late June.
Roy Pughsley, 53, stayed at the Macy’s on State Street in downtown Chicago on June 28, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office announced in a Tuesday, Aug. 18, statement. During his stay, he allegedly stole clothing, which he then put on, before taking food from the store’s restaurants. He exited the store around 3:25 a.m. with the unpaid merchandise, police said.
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Macy’s employees alerted authorities again on Aug. 3, reporting that they saw a person who matched the description of the suspect involved in the June 28 incident. The suspect, later identified as Pughsley, wore the same shoes and had the same backpack as in the previous incident, the sheriff’s office said.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office charged him with burglary and felony retail theft, the sheriff’s office said.
Credit: Cook County Sheriff’s Office
Pughsley was previously arrested on June 3, on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and trespassing, according to court records viewed by PEOPLE. He has been arrested in Chicago 25 times since 2017, including five times between February and April 2026.
PEOPLE reached out to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
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