MESA, AZ — A Mesa husband and wife are facing felony charges after police say they checked out hundreds of books from the Mesa Public Library and sold them to a used bookstore, racking up more than $6,200 in unreturned library materials.
The couple was arrested on Aug. 10 at the Mesa Public Library’s Red Mountain Branch, according to court paperwork. Both are now accused of trafficking stolen property, a class 2 felony, and theft, a class 4 felony.
According to court records, the scheme came to light on May 19, when a bookstore, located near Power and Southern in Mesa, contacted the Mesa Public Library after a man and woman arrived at the store attempting to sell 19 books still bearing Mesa Public Library labels and barcodes. Staff at the bookstore refused to complete the transaction and notified the library, and the pair left the books on the counter and left the store per the court paperwork…