Two Men Arrested for Stealing Nearly $2,800 in Tools From Jonesboro Home Depot

Joseph Wayne Nix and Daniel Oliver Irwin walked into The Home Depot in Jonesboro on March 1, loaded shopping carts with tools, and pushed them past every point of sale without stopping to pay. Surveillance cameras captured the entire process. What the two men from Trumann apparently did not account for was a loss-prevention officer who documented what he saw, photographed the suspects and their vehicle, and handed that package to law enforcement two days later.

According to a Jonesboro Police Department probable cause affidavit, investigators shared the surveillance images and vehicle photos with surrounding agencies. A neighboring law enforcement agency then compared the store footage against official driver's license records and confirmed the identities: Nix, 31, and Irwin, 45. The stolen tools were valued at $2,788.94.

Both men now face two Class D felony charges each: theft of property greater than $1,000 but less than $5,000, and organized retail theft between $1,001 and $5,000. In Arkansas, a theft exceeding $1,000 in merchandise value triggers felony eligibility, with the specific class determined by how much was taken.

Judge Tommy Fowler set Nix's bond at $15,000 cash only, citing his status as a parolee with a documented history of theft offenses and failures to appear in court. Irwin's bond was set at $15,000 cash. Both suspects are scheduled to appear in court April 23.

The arrest fits into a broader pattern of organized retail crime enforcement that has accelerated across Arkansas in recent years. In June 2025, investigators from the Arkansas Attorney General's office led a retail crime blitz in Jonesboro alongside Jonesboro Police Department officers, resulting in 16 arrests, the identification of five additional suspects, and more than 60 charges, roughly half of them felonies. Participating retailers included Home Depot, Walmart, Walgreens, Target, Lowe's, and several others.

Attorney General Tim Griffin, who has made organized retail crime a stated priority since taking office, credited dedicated investigator Gerald Harrelson and cooperation from Jonesboro Police and 2nd Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood with making that operation possible. "We are working with law enforcement agencies and private sector partners across the state to gather intelligence, arrest perpetrators, and ultimately hold bad actors accountable," Griffin said at the time.

Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott described the collaboration model as something new to Arkansas. "I'm pleased that Jonesboro is one of the first agencies in the state to participate in this joint effort," Elliott said. Since 2023, operations tied to Griffin's organized retail crime initiative have produced 44 arrests and recovered more than $600,000 in stolen merchandise statewide.

The Nix and Irwin case is separate from a higher-profile organized retail crime prosecution announced around the same period, in which a British national and his American wife were charged with a Class B felony after allegedly obtaining more than 6,000 fraudulent Home Depot gift cards and reselling merchandise through online platforms. More than $116,000 in stolen goods were seized from their Conway County home.

For Nix and Irwin, the next step is their April 23 court appearance. The specific arrest date was not included in the probable cause affidavit reviewed for this report.