The man dubbed the ‘Downton Abbey Addict,’ for stealing box sets of the popular TV series, is in jail again.
Columbus City Attorney’s Office Chief of Staff Bill Hedrick said Branden Deel, the "Downton Abbey Addict," was arrested for theft, Friday, in Upper Arlington.
Hedrick said Deel faces charges in Columbus.
“They were all three retail thefts, and they all involved large amounts of DVDs," Hedrick said.
Hedrick said Deel, 30, who belongs to a sell and trade social media page, has a penchant for stealing DVD box sets. Hedrick said Deel stole nearly $600 worth of Downton Abbey sets in 2014 that launched a two-year crime spree.
Hedrick said Deel belongs to a buy and trade social media page.
“I can’t prove he was on there selling the items," he said. "But he obviously must be selling them somewhere.”
“With the streaming and other things going on, I think people are less likely to buy the DVDs, so it’s become less trendy for a thief to do this," Hedrick said. "This is the first time ever I had someone stealing something from like a PBS series or something like that in large quantities.”
Deel faces 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine in each of the Columbus retail theft cases.
