Man sentenced after almost daily thefts from Portland Apple Store

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man who almost daily stole hundreds of dollars of electronics from the downtown Portland Apple Store to feed a $150-a-day heroin habit has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports 39-year-old Todd Billinghurst was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to theft and robbery at Sunglass Hut and Ross Dress for Less as part of a plea deal. That was on top of earlier guilty pleas for first-degree aggravated theft from the Apple Store and initiating a false report.

Prosecutors say Billinghurst would run into the Apple store, grab an average of about $700 worth of merchandise and escape within 20 seconds.

This went until Billinghurst’s arrest Feb. 14, when a Portland police officer recognized him at a Starbucks.

Billinghurst said in court he was grateful that he got caught because he wants to redirect his life’s course.