DA: Man accused as driver in retail theft ring sentenced for Houston County case

Prosecutors say the theft ring stole merchandise across Georgia, including a Perry Walmart.

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A man accused of serving as a driver in a retail theft ring operating across Georgia has been sentenced to jail time for a shoplifting case in Houston County.

According to Houston County District Attorney Eric Edwards, Christopher Simpson entered a guilty plea Thursday to theft by shoplifting in a case dating back to fall 2024.

According to Edwards, Simpson was the driver for a theft ring involved in retail thefts and resale of stolen merchandise across the state. Investigators determined that the group’s only confirmed activity in Houston County involved shoplifting from the Perry Walmart, where items totaling just over $1,700 were stolen.

The stolen items included scooters and hoverboards, Edwards said.

Simpson was charged alongside a co-defendant who previously entered the store and carried out the theft. That co-defendant has already pleaded guilty and been sentenced in the case, Edwards said.

For his role as the driver, Simpson was sentenced to 12 months in jail in Houston County.

Edwards said Simpson and his co-defendant have additional theft cases pending in other jurisdictions, including an organized retail theft case in Monroe County, where investigators believe most of the theft ring’s activity happened.