‘I Need to Make a Return’ Priest Returns Thousands in Stolen Wine on Alleged Thief’s Behalf Says Wine Store Owner

(Photo: KMOV 4 St. Louis/YouTube)

In October employees at The Wine Merchant in Clayton, Missouri said a man entered the store and filled a reusable bag with bottles of wine that retail for more than $200 apiece. The incident was caught on video. Now the store owner says a priest has returned the stolen wine on the alleged thief’s behalf. 

“It was a slow Monday and I saw a priest come in with a big box and set it on the front counter and I came over to let him know I’d be with him in just a second,” said Jason Main, Owner and President of The Wine Merchant according to KMOV4. “He stopped me right there and said, ‘look, I need to make a return.’”

According to Main, the priest said the man wanted to return the wine, but he wasn’t coming into the store and he wasn’t going to answer questions. 

“There was a big industrial shipping container with a manila folder duct taped to the top and inside was a two-page apology letter and inside the container was all of the wine that was stolen,” Main said KMOV4 reports.

The wine was said to be returned in perfect condition. In the note, the man said he had fallen on hard times and was selling the stolen wine. The note also said he wanted to resolve the situation without “cops or lawyers.” 

The man is also suspected of allegedly stealing wine from other local small businesses like the nearby wineshop, The Wine and Cheese Place. However, Aaron Zwicker, co-owner of The Wine and Cheese Place said the wine that was reportedly stolen from his store has not been returned. 

Main said, “if you know these wines are stolen and you have them in your cellar, you need to get them out of there and return them immediately. This is stolen property.”

It appears the man hasn’t yet been identified by police.

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