Man admits stealing 30 iPhones from Walmart

A man who was convicted of driving a stolen pickup and living in a stolen travel trailer admitted to taking 30 iPhones worth around $20,000 from the Topsy Walmart.

Joseph Patrick Eckert, 27, admitted to felony burglary of a business and grand larceny on Monday.

Under a plea agreement, prosecutors would recommend the two five-year sentences be served at the same time, but consecutive to sentences Eckert received in Washoe County.

According to court documents, Eckert entered the Walmart at 10:40 p.m. on March 31, 2021, and walked back into the stockroom.

Security footage showed him filling a cardboard box with the iPhone 12s, which had been delivered an hour before.

He then walked out of the store carrying the box. Security learned of the theft during an audit and called deputies the next day.

It took a while to trace Eckert, who was driving a gray 2013 Ford F-150 that had been stolen the month before in Reno. Reno Police spotted the Ford and tried to take him into custody.

On April 7, the empty vehicle was spotted, and Eckert was taken into custody when he returned to it.

He was found with methamphetamine and heroin and convicted of high-level possession of a controlled substance and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

He will remain in custody until his May 23 sentencing.