A Bloomington man was arrested Saturday after trying to steal more than $800 worth of tools from Rural King.

Timothy Arsenault, 37, filled a shopping cart up with $873.37 worth of tools and went into a back area marked associates only, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Cody Forston said. He tried to exit through the loading dock but set off an alarm. Startled, Arsenault bit his lip and started bleeding.

Arsenault was embarrassed and walked out to the front of the store, Forston said. He left the cart in the back area. Arsenault then asked a Rural King employee if they wanted to make $20 by going in and getting his jacket off of the cart. The employee walked away, and Arsenault got into his car.

Still trying to retrieve the jacket, Arsenault drove to the west side of the store by the loading dock. Police said an employee then locked down the area, making sure he couldn’t drive away. Realizing he had been caught, Arsenault went inside to wait for police to arrive.

Officers arrived at the store around 9 p.m. and arrested Arsenault, charging him with theft.

A previous headline for this story incorrectly stated Arsenault's crime was an attempted robbery, when it was actually an attempted theft. The IDS regrets this error.

Like what you're reading? Support independent, award-winning college journalism on this site. Donate here.