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PROVO — Charges have been filed against a man accused of stealing textbooks from the BYU bookstore and selling them to another store.
Greg L. Hassapakis, 58, of Provo, was charged in 4th District Court with two counts of theft, a third-degree felony.
On Sept. 19, store surveillance cameras captured Hassapakis putting textbooks from the BYU bookstore under his clothes and walking out with them, according to charging documents. On Sept. 22, he was spotted in the bookstore again. Officers arrested him after finding two more textbooks under his clothes, charges state.
Upon further investigation, BYU police learned that Hassapakis had stolen at least seven textbooks worth an estimated $2,340. The books included "Chemical Principles," listed at $309; "Macro Economics," $285; and "Molecular Biology," $255.
According to a search warrant affidavit unsealed over the weekend in 4th District Court, Hassapakis also admitted to stealing text books from the Utah Valley University bookstore. He then sold the books to Boomerang Books, according to court records.
"Hassapakis has been frequenting BYU campus, the Wilkinson Center and BYU Store since Sept. 13. He was witnessed on video surveillance concealing textbooks in the BYU Store Sept. 18," the warrant states.
Detectives also searched a Provo storage unit that Hassapakis has been using and found eight calculators believed to be stolen, the warrant states, and 10 more textbooks.
Because of prior robbery and theft convictions, charges against Hassapakis have been enhanced to felonies. His next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 16.
