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Senate panel backs bill increasing penalties for organized retail theft after retailers, attorney general support
Summary
Senate Bill 159, which would create a graduated penalty structure for organized retail crime and add an aggravated organized‑retail offense, won a favorable committee report after retailers and the attorney general’s office urged stiffer penalties for large‑scale theft rings.
The South Carolina Senate Judiciary Subcommittee gave a favorable report to Senate Bill 159 after testimony from retail industry representatives and the attorney general's office that the state’s current retail‑theft statute lacks tools to prosecute large, organized theft rings.
Krista Henson, executive director of the South Carolina Retail Association, said the group represents retailers that employ one in four people in the state and that retail theft incidents have risen sharply. “Organized retail crime differs from traditional shoplifting,” she told the committee, saying those offenses are…
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