Kent man reportedly buys a banana but steals expensive items
Published 4:30 pm Friday, July 17, 2026
A 32-year-old Kent man reportedly figured he had sneaky way to steal items from a Kent Safeway store that involved buying a banana.
King County prosecutors charged Nathaniel Thomas Hambly on July 1 with second-degree organized theft, which allegedly included three separate thefts with the same modus operandi at the store, according to charging documents.
Hambly reportedly walked into a Safeway, 20830 108th Ave. SE in Panther Lake, went to the produce section and picked up a banana. He then went to the beauty and cosmetic section where he hid boxes of Olay or L’Oreal products inside his clothing or in a small backpack.
Still carrying a banana, Hambly then paid for the fruit and exited the store without paying for the concealed items, according to charging documents. He used this same method of operation on April 2, April 3 and April 8.
Hambly allegedly stole beauty products during the three incidents that totaled $680. All three incidents were recorded on store security cameras.
Because thefts must total at least $750 for someone to be charged with a felony rather than a shoplifting misdemeanor, a Kent Police detective contacted the regional loss prevention specialist with Safeway, who initially reported the alleged crimes by Hambly.
The loss prevention specialist told the detective that Hambly reportedly had been involved with 18 other theft cases from the year prior, including the Covington Safeway. In fact, Hambly was reportedly such a chronic offender that he had been added to Safeway’s internal facial recognition system to document his continued crimes.
The loss prevention specialist tracked down for police two additional reports and video clips of Hambly reportedly stealing items, one on April 28 at a Renton Safeway and another one on April 30 back at the Panther Lake Safeway. With the previous three cases, that added up to five thefts over the course of 30 days totaling a loss of $1,049.65, meeting the amount for a felony case.
Not guilty plea
Hambly pleaded not guilty to second-degree organized theft on July 15 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
A King County Superior Court judge ordered Hambly to the Pretrial Assessment and Linkage Services (PALS) program for substance abuse. That means he must report to a caseworker by phone and then report to Asian Counseling and Referral Services or a current provider.
If Hambly commits any crimes while in the PALS program, he will be booked into jail and removed from the program. He also is not allowed to purchase or possess controlled substances without a valid prescription and shall not consume any alcohol.
After a treatment evaluation for substance abuse, if it is determined he needs treatment, he must participate in all referred and assigned programs and attend all appointments.
Hambly is scheduled to return to court Sept. 9 for a pretrial hearing.
Retail theft emphasis
Hambly’s case is an example of an emphasis by police and prosecutors to charge people with organized retail theft, a felony crime, rather than just shoplifting, a misdemeanor.
“Organized retail theft is defined by this section of state law, and includes repeated theft of the same or multiple business when the value of what’s lost reaches what state lawmakers have set as the felony level,” according to a King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office statement. “Charges filed under this statute are often aggregated (i.e. are based on multiple thefts by suspects, whether committed with accomplices or solo, and can reflect targeting of one specific business or multiple businesses).”
Between 2021 and 2024, King County prosecutors saw a significant increase in the number of felony retail crime case referrals from police investigators, and their retail crimes caseload more than doubled (from 52 to 121 – an increase of 132%), according to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
“Our team is working hard to bring accountability for retail crime — which can involve organized retail theft, thousands of dollars of losses and physical assaults on workers,” King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said. “These crimes are a drain on businesses of all sizes and contribute to a decline in quality of life for our neighbors when they see their local stores close down, lock everyday staples behind protective glass, or simply don’t feel safe in a local establishment. We will keep doing our part with the limited resource we have to address retail crime.”
Kroger closed the Fred Meyer store on the East Hill in Kent last October, in part it said because of a steady rise in theft.
The impact of retail crimes is felt across Kent and the rest of King County.
“We’ve heard very clearly from our various partners in law enforcement, retailers, community partners about what an issue this is,” said Patrick Hinds, chief of the Economic Crimes and Wage Theft Division. “When businesses close, that can often disproportionately impact economically disadvantaged communities, immigrant communities, BIPOC neighborhoods and communities.”
