A Sears employee allegedly managed to steal several big appliances from the Livonia store, leading to his recent arrest.

A Sears official reached out to Livonia police Oct. 16 because they suspected an employee, 29, of stealing more than $20,000 worth of dishwashers, stoves, washers, dryers and other items.

According to the police report, employees received a tip from an anonymous caller and began investigating.

They reviewed security cameras that showed the employee helping another man load merchandise into a vehicle. They also looked at sales logs that didn’t show an accompanying sale.

They conducted similar research for a term of several months and noticed big appliance thefts stretching back to July.

Police say the man confessed that his girlfriend was pregnant with twins and he needed the money to deal with financial difficulties.

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Contact Susan Vela at svela@hometownlife.com or 248-303-8432. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela.