Gregory Smithwick, Abigail Johnson accused of stealing pricey golf clubs in Phoenix

PHOENIX - A man and woman have been arrested for allegedly stealing expensive sets of golf clubs from resorts in the Phoenix metropolitan area, authorities said Wednesday.

Phoenix police said Gregory Smithwick, 26, and Abigail Johnson, 27, were being held on suspicion of property theft.

The two were selling the club sets -- valued at up to $3,000 -- to someone who then sold them online, police said.

They said a victim at the Orange Tree Golf Resort in Scottsdale obtained the license plate number from a suspected vehicle and that led officers to Smithwick.

Police began monitoring Smithwick's movements and noticed that he and Johnson continuously traveled to golf resorts and neighborhoods in the Phoenix area at varying hours of the day in February and early March.

The suspects were spotted at Pinnacle Peak Country Club on March 5 and police saw Smithwick dressed like a golfer in a polo shirt, slacks and a hat.

Police said Smithwick was seen taking two sets of golf clubs from a drop-off area, putting them in the cab of a truck driven by Johnson and then leaving the country club.

Officers later stopped the vehicle, recovered the golf clubs and arrested Smithwick and Johnson.

Police said two other sets of expensive clubs were recovered after a search warrant was served and they've been returned to the owners.

It wasn't immediately clear Wednesday how many sets of clubs the suspects allegedly stole. Police didn't immediately know if either Smithwick or Johnson had lawyers.