Whatcom County man accused of 29 retail thefts, stealing car from mother

BELLINGHAM — A Whatcom County man has been charged with 29 retail thefts in Bellingham within a 157-day period between March 12 and Aug. 15, according to Megan Peters with the Bellingham Police Department. He also is accused of stealing his mother’s car Aug. 18.

Gregory Keefe, 42, is suspected of stealing from Barnes and Noble, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Target, GameStop, Fred Meyer and the REI Co-op. He allegedly stole from the Sportsman’s Warehouse 21 times, according to Peters.

Keefe was arrested for a string of burglaries in 2015 and was sentenced to 2½ years in prison.

Police were able to link Keefe to the recent burglaries after he allegedly stole a box of ammunition from Sportsman’s Warehouse and then attempted to sell it to a pawnshop 10 minutes later, identifying himself as his dead relative, Christopher Keefe, who died in 2022, according to court documents.

Keefe is being charged with first-degree retail theft with special circumstances, first-degree theft with intent to resell, 25 counts of trafficking in stolen property and 24 counts of first-degree identity theft — all class B felonies. He also faces 18 counts of third-degree theft, a gross misdemeanor.

By establishing a pattern of behavior, police were able to link the other thefts to Keefe, who was caught Oct. 5.