Cape Coral Man Arrested for Lego Barcode Swap Scheme

Cape Coral police arrested Tyler Dean Lovering, 33, on a grand theft charge after he allegedly stole more than $1,300 in Lego sets from Walmart by scanning cheaper barcodes at self-checkout.

Between February and April, Lovering swapped barcodes on high-value Lego sets at the Walmart on Del Prado Boulevard South, scanning items priced $4 to $4.97 while purchasing sets that cost $23.97 to $261.97, police said. Detectives identified 12 separate incidents involving stolen sets from "Frozen," "Harry Potter," and "Star Wars" themes. The total loss reached $1,354.61.

Property Crimes detectives reviewed surveillance footage and transaction records after store loss prevention staff reported the suspicious pattern. Police executed a search warrant at Lovering's residence and storage unit, recovering stolen sets and barcodes from his wallet.

Lovering was booked into Lee County Jail. Prosecutors will determine whether to file additional charges related to the multiple incidents.