Print edition: 
Target officials became suspicious when they watched an employee load hair straighteners and sewing machines into an unfamiliar truck at the store's Ward Parkway Shopping Center loading dock.
In the following days, they monitored the employee, checked surveillance footage and studied inventory records. The employee, they learned, had been removing items from the store's computer inventory by marking them as "defective."
That's how Melody A. Breckenridge allegedly stole more than $120,000 in merchandise from the store in the two months before Target officials uncovered the thefts in January, prosecutors say.
But the thefts had been going on for at least 18 months, court records say — which would push the total losses into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. An exact amount is unknown; Target officials could trace lost inventory back only to late November.
Police recovered more than $96,000 of stolen items from several area houses, a dog sanctuary, a storage facility and a rural farmhouse.
Prosecutors on Tuesday charged Breckenridge, 50, of Kansas City, with one count of felony theft. She worked at Target as a receiving specialist on the loading dock for five years.
Prosecutors also charged her friend, Damon C. Davidson, 43, of Prairie Village, with the same count, alleging that she helped transport the stolen goods while knowing they were stolen.
The women were not in custody Tuesday. Police Sgt. Brad Lemon, who supervised the investigation, said they were working through an attorney to try to arrange their surrender.
Davidson's attorney, Kevin Regan, declined to comment Tuesday, saying he needed to review the details of the case first. Breckenridge could not be reached for comment.
According to court records, Breckenridge began by taking items already marked for salvage. She later progressed to stealing new merchandise, the court records say.
Police believe Breckenridge collected items at the loading dock in empty boxes, or on pallets normally reserved for damaged goods to be sold to a salvager. Breckenridge allegedly loaded the merchandise into Davidson's van or other friends' vehicles about once a week.
Surveillance video from the loading dock showed Breckenridge regularly stacking pallets of pricey vacuum cleaners, dog food, paper products and electronics, according to court records. Target officials reviewed video dating to Nov. 25, the earliest date available. Target then called police, who set up a surveillance team outside the store on Jan. 28.
Officers watched as Davidson loaded her van with dog food, toys and paper products. A man with her loaded diapers, electronics and other items into a box truck.
Some investigators followed Davidson's van, while others followed the box truck. Davidson's van led police to a dog sanctuary.
Officers got a search warrant and broke through a large gate on the property to look for stolen items. Police used a stun gun on one dog they said was acting aggressively.
Shirley Allen, a businesswoman who operates the sanctuary from her Kansas City home, was upset by the forcefulness of the raid. She said shortly after the raid that she believed the items were donated by Target — not stolen.
She said the products, which Davidson delivered each Thursday, consisted mainly of damaged bags of dog food and cleaning products with broken packaging. She said nearly everything came affixed with a salvage or Target claim tag.
Police believe Allen had the wool pulled over her eyes.
"Very likely she was a totally innocent victim that had no clue the items were stolen," said Kansas City police Officer Darin Snapp.
Officers later searched Davidson's home, where they found stolen paper products, clothing and household accessories.
A street-view snapshot of Davidson's home on Google Maps shows her standing in her driveway, surrounded by boxes and merchandise with her gray van nearby, doors open. Police confirmed the gray van was the one they saw picking up stolen items from Target and said they believe the snapshot shows her surrounded by Target boxes.
The box truck that police followed from their surveillance led them to a farmhouse in Henry County that was set up like a store with stolen items, many still with Target price tags attached. Mini-refrigerators and freezers were stored on the back porch, while household items such as lamps and candles were set up in one room, with toys and clothes in another room. A shed contained smaller items, such as bags of socks.
Police searched seven locations in all, including Breckenridge's house near West 86th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, where police found stolen bedding, plastic tubs, toiletries, shoes and cat food.
Breckenridge describes herself on her MySpace page with the statement: "I love my pets!" She ends her biography on the social-networking site by writing: "I am a good person who would help anyone until I get hurt. I love my job at target. I am a receiver."
Davidson is also an animal lover. The Star interviewed her twice in the 1990s, both times for volunteer projects involving the homeless or wounded animals.
Police said they believe the women may have started stealing to donate the merchandise, thinking they were doing the right thing. But police believe that over time, the motive apparently turned to profit.
Witnesses have told police Breckenridge tried to sell them flat-screen televisions worth $1,000 for $200. Breckenridge allegedly posted fliers in Henry County advertising the stolen goods, which some customers believed were "damaged goods" that Breckenridge bought in bulk.
Police believe other people may have participated in the embezzlement scheme, but Lemon said they did not yet have enough evidence to bring charges. Lemon said he didn't know how the thefts went on for as long as they did, but said security flaws that Target identified through the investigation had been fixed.
Target's corporate public relations specialist did not answer questions Tuesday, but released a statement that said: "We are committed to maintaining high ethical standards and business principles in every aspect of our business. We have partnered with law enforcement during their investigation of this matter. We take this situation very seriously and have policies and procedures in place to prevent similar incidents."
