Shoplifter With Stun Gun Arrested For Theft, Threats In Marin: Police

CORTE MADERA, CA — Marin County authorities allege a man with a history of theft made threats and shoplifted items from a Corte Madera Safeway last week.

In a news release Wednesday, Central Marin Police said an employee called 911 to report a disturbance at Town Center Corte Madera around 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 20. The worker told dispatchers a man who had shoplifted in the past was inside the store screaming and threatening him.

Officers arrived and found the suspect, who police identified Wednesday as Garth Hendrick, 48, of Dublin.

Police said interviews with employees and other witnesses gave them probable cause to make an arrest, and investigators learned Hendrick's criminal history included prior theft convictions. Under the newly enacted Proposition 36, which increases the punishment for certain drug and theft crimes, police said Hendrick was likely to face an additional criminal charge.

Hendrick was booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of making felony criminal threats, shoplifting, being a felon in possession of a stun gun, felony petty theft with priors, and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

According to jail records, he remained in custody Thursday in lieu of $50,000 bail.