Sticky fingers leads to felony for Aspen clothing store employee

An 18-year-old local clothing store employee admitted Monday to stealing nearly $15,000 worth of merchandise from the business despite only working there for a month and a half, according to court documents.

Kaden Gustin, who was charged with felony theft, told police he took 18 separate items from Moncler in downtown Aspen, including jackets, pants, shirts and shoes, according to an affidavit filed in Pitkin County District Court.

Aspen police were called to the store about 6:20 p.m. Monday after staff members checked Gustin’s bag and found a $1,675 ski jacket inside it, the affidavit states.

“(Staff members) said that Gustin admitted to them he stole the jacket as well as numerous other items,” according to the court filing. “They explained to us that Gustin had been employed at the store for approximately one and one half months and that inventory had been disappearing during that time.”

Gustin told a police officer he stole the jacket as well as other items that were at his Snowmass Village apartment. He volunteered to take officers to the apartment and retrieve the stolen merchandise, the affidavit states.

When the officer arrived at the apartment, Gustin’s roommate told the officer “that Gustin had messaged him moments before and asked him to hide the Moncler items from his (Gustin’s) bedroom because he was in trouble,” according to the affidavit.

“(The roommate) said that he went into Gustin’s bedroom and took the Moncler items outside to his (the roommate’s) car,” the affidavit states. “(The roommate) then retrieved the items from his car and brought them inside, giving them to me.”

Gustin also gave the officer other items from his room that had allegedly been stolen from the store. A Moncler store manager told police the value of the items he stole was $14,580.

Gustin, who said he originally was from Vail, has no criminal history, a prosecutor said Tuesday during his advisement hearing in District Court. District Judge Chris Seldin allowed him out of jail on a personal recognizance bond.

jauslander@aspentimes.com