A Phoenix man is accused of turning Valley Home Depot aisles into his own grab-and-go circuit, with police linking him to thefts at more than 40 stores before the streak ended this week. Court records identify the suspect as 30-year-old Chance Mason, who was booked into the Maricopa County jail on a $25,000 bond. Prosecutors say his case is part of a broader local crackdown on organized retail theft.
According to court documents, the alleged thefts happened between December 2025 and January 2026 and centered on power tool sets that Mason reportedly walked out with without paying. Phoenix police say store employees spotted Mason taking merchandise at a Home Depot near Tatum Boulevard and Bell Road in north Phoenix, then watched as a white Honda Fit picked him up and drove away. Officers tracked the car to the parking lot of another Home Depot near Cactus and Cave Creek roads, where plainclothes detectives arrested Mason as he tried to leave. Investigators also reported spotting more Home Depot merchandise inside the vehicle, as reported by Arizona’s Family.
How investigators link cases and why prosecutors are watching
Investigators say they connected dozens of incidents by comparing surveillance video, vehicle descriptions and accounts from store staff, a pattern that authorities increasingly classify as organized retail crime. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office says prosecutors have made ORC cases a priority, along with public outreach, as store losses and case submissions have climbed in recent years.
Charges and what happens next
Court paperwork shows Mason was booked into the Maricopa County jail on a $25,000 bond and faces 37 counts of organized retail theft, along with one felony drug-possession charge. Documents also say store employees linked him to about 40 thefts and that Mason told officers he planned to sell the stolen tools to fund a drug addiction, per Arizona’s Family.
Broader trend in the Valley
The arrest mirrors other recent cases in Maricopa County where suspects allegedly targeted Home Depot and other big-box chains, highlighting why loss-prevention teams and prosecutors have been teaming up on investigations. For background on similar prosecutions, see Hoodline’s earlier coverage of Home Depot cases in the Valley: Indicts Brothers for Theft Ring. County officials say tighter coordination and more aggressive prosecutions are meant to disrupt resale networks that profit from stolen goods…