A Mesa, Arizona couple was arrested on Monday after allegedly stealing and reselling more than $6,000 worth of books from the Mesa Public Library. Ian Bartlett, 36, and Athena Bartlett, 33, are accused of checking out the books under two different accounts and then attempting to sell hundreds of them to a local secondhand bookstore.
Mesa police were alerted to the situation after library staff observed the couple at the library and notified authorities. The investigation began on May 19, following a report from the library that a man and woman had attempted to sell numerous books still bearing library labels to a local bookstore. Employees at the bookstore informed the pair that they could not purchase the library books, prompting them to leave.
Following the bookstore's report, library staff identified Ian Bartlett as the individual who had checked out many of the books. His library account had been blocked due to approximately $1,565 worth of unreturned books. Investigators discovered a second library account under Bartlett's name, which had 66 outstanding books. Of those, 19 were recovered at the bookstore.
Further investigation revealed that Athena Bartlett had completed five transactions at the bookstore between May 7 and May 14, involving 423 books. Both Ian and Athena Bartlett were booked on charges of theft, a class four felony, and trafficking stolen property, a class two felony. Police believe numerous other Mesa Public Library books remain unrecovered and are asking anyone who may have unknowingly purchased a stolen library book or possesses one to contact the Mesa Police Department.