Man charged after allegedly stealing more than $60K in clothing from downtown Toronto retailers

Michael Lewis, 42, can be seen above. (Handout by the Toronto Police Service)

A Toronto man is facing charges after allegedly stealing more than $60,000 in clothing from downtown retail stores in recent months.

On Friday, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) was called to a clothing store near Peter and Queen streets for reports of a theft in progress.

According to a release issued by the service, a masked suspect entered the store, selected “a quantity” of women’s pants, and left without paying.

The suspect was located and arrested that day. Police say they recovered $6,338 worth of clothing during the arrest.

In the release, investigators further alleged that the suspect had stolen more than $55,000 worth of clothing from stores in the area between May and July of this year.

Michael Lewis, 42, of Toronto, is facing three counts of theft over $5,000, 12 counts of theft under $5,000, and 10 counts of failure to comply with a probation order. The charges have not been tested in court.

Lewis is scheduled to appear in court on July 29 at 10 a.m.

Police said in the release that they believe Lewis may have committed additional thefts in the area. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.