Brad Corbin

A Cody man who’s out on parole for stealing thousands of dollars worth of items years ago is now facing allegations that he recently stole more than $3,100 worth of items from Walmart.

Between late November and last week, Brad Corbin, 38, is alleged to have taken drones, cameras, a laptop and other merchandise from the Cody store. He’s facing two felony counts of shoplifting.

“I haven’t been in trouble in years; I messed up. I’m sorry,” Corbin said at his inital appearance in Park County Circuit Court last month, as he requested a surety bond that would be easier to post while the case is pending.

“I just need one chance,” Corbin said.

But Judge Bruce Waters broke into laughter at the Dec. 16 hearing.

“That’s funny,” Waters said. “How many chances have you had, Mr. Corbin?”

“I’ve had a lot,” Corbin responded.

“Yeah — no, the chances are up,” the judge said, setting bail at $10,000 cash.

In requesting that amount, Deputy Park County Attorney Jack Hatfield said Corbin had a “lifelong history of stealing things,” having been convicted “for just about every form of property crime that you can imagine — burglary, robbery.”

Hatfield said that prosecutors had no confidence that Corbin would show up for future court appearances — referencing past failures to appear — or that he would “not go back to stealing from people.”

Back in 2015, Corbin had received a six- to nine-year prison sentence for felony counts of shoplifting and receiving, concealing or disposing of stolen property. Court records say Corbin had sold a $5,000 hydraulic pump that had been stolen from a Cody trucking company in late 2013 — he was a suspect in the theft — and later pilfered $1,800 worth of video game consoles and equipment from the Cody Kmart in late 2014.

Wyoming Department of Corrections records indicate that Corbin served 42 months in jail and prison before being released on parole in October 2018.

But by last month, the department was seeking to revoke his parole and he’d become a person of interest in several instances of shoplifting at Walmart.

Walmart personnel had determined that a man had been taking items into areas of the store that were out of the range of their surveillance cameras. Then, he’d remove the packaging and security devices and walk out of the store with the items stuffed under his clothing, charging documents indicate.

On Nov. 25, the suspect stole a drone and a camera worth nearly $500 and on Nov. 27, he walked out with Bose brand glasses frames, a laptop computer and a dashboard-mounted camera, valued at $1,234. Then on Dec. 13, he took two drones and a GoPro camera worth $408. Charging documents say Walmart personnel were on the lookout for the suspect and called police when they spotted the man back in the electronics section on the night of Dec. 14. While officers were en route, he made off with two more GoPro cameras and left, according to an affidavit compiled by Cody police.

Officer Tyler Eubanks pulled the suspect’s vehicle over a couple blocks away and identified the driver as Corbin, who ultimately turned over two GoPro cameras that had been stashed under a seat. The devices had a combined value of $998.

Charging documents say Officer Eubanks told Corbin he could avoid immediate arrest if he cooperated and turned over the merchandise. However, he was taken into custody when police realized that the Wyoming Department of Corrections had already obtained a warrant for his arrest for an alleged parole violation.

Cody police later reviewed surveillance footage of the shoplifting incidents in November and December, and Sgt. Trapp Heydenberk and Eubanks concluded Corbin was the man pictured in all four thefts.

All told, he’s alleged to have taken $3,138.60 worth of merchandise.

At the end of the Dec. 16 hearing, Judge Waters apologized to Corbin for his initial reaction to the request for another chance.

However, the judge added, “being familiar with the history, in all seriousness, you’re kind of beyond that point at this time in your life.”

If Corbin is able to come up with the $10,000 bail, he’ll be required to stay off of Walmart property, among other conditions. And it’s possible he would still be subject to arrest on the Department of Corrections’ warrant, though Hatfield said the parole board “changes its mind, so who knows if they’re actually going to follow through with it.”

Corbin later allowed his case to be sent to Park County District Court, where he pleaded not guilty to the shoplifting charges last week. District Court Judge Bill Simpson has tentatively scheduled the case for a June 16 trial.