Apple Valley Man Charged with Serial Vacuum Theft in Lakeville

An Apple Valley man has been charged with stealing vacuum cleaners from a store in Lakeville three times within the last year.

William Lance Peck, 45, faces a felony theft charge, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, Target’s loss prevention department contacted Lakeville police on June 21 and said it had three documented incidents in which Peck was captured on video, selecting vacuum cleaners, placing them in shopping carts and walking out of the store without paying for them. 

The videos showed Peck walking out with a $549 Dyson vacuum last Dec. 29; a $329 Oreck vacuum on May 7; and another $329 Oreck vacuum on May 23, according to the complaint.

The total value of the thefts is $1,207.

Police learned that Peck was convicted in June of stealing a Dyson vacuum cleaner from a Target store in Edina, and sentenced last month to 90 days in the Hennepin County workhouse. Peck was ordered to serve only two days, with the remainder of the sentence stayed for a year.

His criminal record also shows that he was convicted of theft in August and sentenced to 60 days in the Hennepin County workhouse, with 55 days stayed for a year.

Peck is scheduled to make a first appearance on the latest theft charge Dec. 12 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.