04-04-2025
Habitual San Francisco thief arrested again
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A repeat offender who habitually steals from stores in San Francisco is back behind bars and facing new theft charges, police said.
Marcel Criner, 57, stole from the same store eight times since November of 2024, the San Francisco Police Department said. He snatched thousands of dollars worth of merchandise while repeatedly shoplifting, according to police, and ignored stay-away orders.
The SFPD Defend Against Retail Theft (DART) Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Task Force arrested Criner at San Francisco Hall of Justice, located at 850 Bryant St., last week and booked him into jail.
Before Proposition 36 was passed, Criner was routinely cited and released for stealing, police said. 'On December 18, 2024, Proposition 36 came into effect after being passed by voters. Proposition 36 included the creation of CA Penal Code 666.1. This statute enables the charging of petty theft incidents as a felony if the suspect has two or more prior theft convictions. Criner has numerous prior theft convictions,' SFPD wrote.
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Under Prop 36, Criner is now facing several felony charges, including organized retail theft.
'Our officers will continue to use every tool available to them, including new statutes from Prop36 passed by voters, to hold suspects accountable,' said Police Chief Bill Scott. 'I'd also like to thank our District Attorney who filed charges on this case.'
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