Texas man sentenced to 45 years for stealing 200 LEGO sets
Love was arrested after a standoff at a residence where cash, narcotics and a vehicle were seized
A Texas man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after stealing more than 200 LEGO sets and over $300,000 worth of merchandise across a 50-day retail crime spree spanning two states.
Winston Love, 28, was convicted on 4 June of organised retail theft with a deadly weapon, according to a 10 June news release from the Watauga Police Department and trial results posted by the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office. The jury also handed down a $10,000 fine alongside the prison term.
A 50-day spree across Texas and Oklahoma
Investigators connected Love to a theft operation carried out over 50 days in 2025, stretching across North Texas and Oklahoma. , the stolen goods included more than 200 LEGO sets, roughly a dozen coffee makers, several vacuum cleaners, and multiple PlayStation controllers — totalling more than $300,000 in merchandise.
Detective J. Branscum of the Watauga Police Department said the sentence sent a clear message about the consequences of organised retail crime. "This sentence reflects the seriousness of organised retail crime and the danger it poses to our communities," he said in the release. "Our department remains committed to holding repeat offenders accountable and protecting both businesses and the public."
Arrest followed a Target theft and standoff
WFAA, FOX 4, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Love was arrested in October 2025 after authorities accused him of stealing more than $1,200 worth of LEGO sets from a Target store in Watauga. Police tracked him to a nearby residence, where he was taken into custody following a brief standoff. During a subsequent search warrant at the property, investigators recovered a vehicle, more than $5,000 in cash, and narcotics.
Landmark case under new Texas law
The conviction carries significance beyond the sentence itself. The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office confirmed that the case was the first trial prosecuted under Texas' updated organised retail theft statute, which came into force on 1 September 2025.
