Authorities say three career criminals — including one who had been arrested for shoplifting 19 times — were busted in Jonesville after trying to take items from Dollar General.

Charged by the Union County Sheriff’s Office with two counts of shoplifting are Steven Bernard Worthy, 55, of 318 Charlesworth Ave., Spartanburg and Douglas Jerome Copeland, 54, of 528 South Irvin St., Spartanburg.

George William Vaughn, 60, of 1062 Laurel Glen Circle, Spartanburg, was charged with one count of shoplifting.

Vaughn is being held on $500 surety bond. Worthy and Copeland both were released on bond Thursday.

All three men have lengthy criminal records that include drug arrests.

“That’s what they do for a living — they go to work to shoplift every day,” Sheriff David Taylor said.

Taylor said the men also are suspects in shoplifting incidents in Spartanburg and Laurens counties. He said they took items like medicine and razor blades that could be easily unloaded at flea markets.

Lt. Kenneth Riddle said Worthy and Copeland are accused of taking items from Dollar General on 102 Post Office Drive, Jonesville on March 27. Video surveillance showed them taking Prilosec, Advil, Tylenol, razor blades, Alka-Seltzer and hair dress oil.

On April 10, Worthy and Copeland returned to the store and the manager recognized them. Vaughn was waiting outside in a car.

As officers were dispatched to the store, a Union County Sheriff’s Office drug task force officer who happened to be in the area saw Worthy running from the store toward a waiting gold-colored Honda. The officer detained Worthy.

The store manager told officers that Copeland tried to distract him while Worthy attempted to shoplift items from the store. He confronted them about stealing from the store on March 27 and told them he was calling 911. Copeland and Worthy fled.

Jonesville Police assisted deputies in corralling the suspects.

The manager reviewed a store surveillance tape that showed Worthy taking a whole rack of razors.

Officers found around $500 worth of merchandise in the vehicle, including Oil of Olay products, Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, BC Powder, Combat roach killer, Mucinex, 15 decks of playing cards, cell phones, trash bags, socks, 17 boxes of Fixodent, 12 boxes of Poligrip, and Gildan.

Copeland told the officers he and the other suspects had already “hit” two other stores that day but wouldn’t say where the stores were located.

A warrant check on all three subjects showed an active warrant on Worthy for shoplifting in Laurens.

Riddle said he also identified Worthy and Copeland as the suspects in a shoplifting at Dollar General in Pauline on March 27. The Union County Sheriff’s Office is working with Spartanburg County deputies on this case.

Worthy’s criminal record includes 19 arrests for shoplifting. He also has been charged with drug possession, driving under the influence, distribution of crack cocaine, check fraud, counterfeiting, receiving stolen goods, grand larceny and forgery.

Copeland had been charged with shoplifting 16 times. His record includes arrests for larceny, possession of stolen goods, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of heroin, reckless driving and burglary.

Vaughn has served time in federal prison for drug charges and has been arrested for shoplifting seven times. His record includes trafficking illegal drugs, possession of heroin and distribution of heroin.

$10,000 worth of items stolen

A victim on 107 Knuckles St. told Officer Leon Lancaster with the public safety department Thursday that someone broke into her 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Items stolen from the car include a Dell laptop computer worth $1,200, two rings worth $8,200, a bag of baseball equipment and three math books.

Also on Thursday, a victim on 128 Joe Walker Road told Sgt. Jeff Wright that someone took $700 worth of items from a van he uses for storage, including a gas hedge trimmer, a string trimmer, open face fishing rods and a hydraulic jack.

On 120 Mill St., a victim told Wright Thursday that someone took her purse from her vehicle. She said it contained her driver’s license, medication and other items worth around $10

Drug arrest

Danielle Alise Curtis, 20, of 815 Perry Drive, Chester, was charged Friday by the Union Public Safety Department with obtaining drugs by fraud or deceit. Her arrest warrant, signed by Investigator Mickey Parker, said Ms. Curtis obtained drugs on a forged prescription at CVS Pharmacy.