[In the player above, watch a FOX 8 segment from 2022 on what’s new at Crocker Park.]

WESTLAKE, Ohio (WJW) — A shoplifter caught by police said it was actually his job to steal from stores, to help prevent future thefts.

“Of course this was a lie,” reads a Thursday report from Westlake police.

Westlake police officers on Wednesday responded to the Nordstorm Rack in Crocker Park on a report of a man who hid products under his clothes and left the store without paying.

Officers found the man and arrested him for theft. He reportedly told them “his job was to steal from businesses, then contact them to advise the store what he had done and how to prevent future thefts,” reads the report.

The excuse didn’t fit. He now faces felony counts of theft and possessing criminal tools.

To reach a felony-level charge, the stolen items must be valued at $1,000 or more, under Ohio Revised Code.