Thieves swipe toilet paper from hotel during COVID-19 shortages, California cops say

California police said they arrested three people for stealing toilet paper, bed sheets, and tissues from a local hotel.

Port Hueneme police officers were driving through a shopping center on Monday when they saw an open alcoholic container in a car in the parking lot, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page.

Officers searched the car and found in the back seat 31 rolls of toilet paper, 31 towels, 4 bed sheet sets, and 27 boxes of tissues, according to the post. Police said the occupants of the car stole the items from a local hotel and fled the scene.

Police arrested Jessica Perez, 25, of Oxnard, Stephen Talley Jr., 25, of Port Hueneme, and Tyson Castillo, 32, of Oxnard for petty theft, according to the release. All of them were were on probation at the time.

Retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, and Target, have sold out of toilet paper during the pandemic, Business Insider reported.

This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Thieves swipe toilet paper from hotel during COVID-19 shortages, California cops say."