Police in Walla Walla, Washington recently busted a burglar with over 100 rolls of toilet paper in his ill-gotten haul, KHQ reports. The local sheriff's office said they arrested a man who had been spotted stealing from a home by someone in the neighborhood. When they tracked the man down a few hours later, they found he was still carrying the rolls as well as over $1000 in stolen goods.
The theft of toilet paper happened as renewed coronavirus concerns and lockdowns have created another run on stores' most precious paper supplies. Early on in the pandemic, a panic generated by encroaching lockdowns led shoppers to purchase toilet paper en masse, emptying store shelves. There's no word whether the alleged burglar was acting out of a similar concern or hoping to fence the TP for a premium once the stores ran out.
Photos of once-again empty toilet paper aisles have helped to spur another mini-panic, a self-sustaining cycle of Charmin-centric chaos. However, companies that spoke to TMZ said that there is no need for concern. The manufacturers don't plan to get caught flat-footed again and have ramped up their production of toilet paper in anticipation of further shopping sprees.
A rep for Kimberly-Clark—wich owns Cottonelle and Scott toilet paper—tells TMZ that there's "absolutely enough supply" of their products for the next COVID wave.
