Published Thursday, November 12, 2009 6:05 AM

Customer, worker aid Walmart arrest

An off-duty police officer, a customer and a Walmart employee stopped a man attempting to steal male-enhancement pills and tire cleaner from the Bryan store, authorities said.

An employee followed Virgil Thomas Hickman III, 44, of Bryan, out of the store and into the parking lot after the store's theft alarm sounded Tuesday, according to a police report.

Hickman didn't respond when the employee asked him to stop, and an off-duty College Station police officer tried to detain him, but Hickman ran into the parking lot before a customer could hold him long enough for the police officer to catch him, according to the police report.

Police said they found two packages of male-enhancement pills and tire cleaner in Hickman's pants. The items were valued at $72.13.

During the struggle, Hickman threw a crack pipe into bushes near the store, according to the police report.

Because of prior theft convictions, the charge was upgraded from a misdemeanor to a state jail felony, punishable by a maximum of two years behind bars.

Hickman also was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was being held in the Brazos County Jail without bail Wednesday.

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LOCAL POLICE BLOTTER

The below map shows police calls reported by the College Station Police Department each day from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. (indicated by blue markers), police calls reported by the Bryan Police Department daily from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. (indicated by yellow markers), as well as incidents reported by The Eagle in Bryan, College Station and surrounding areas (indicated by red markers). Click on individual incidents or markers for details.

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