Alleged Tide Bandit Due in Court

It wasn't a clean getaway.

After allegedly stealing Tide laundry detergent from a Mission Viejo Vons supermarket on Los Alisos near the 241 toll road, Ronald Ledesma is accused of crashing into an ambulance while intoxicated, then driving away from the scene of the accident.

He was later arrested in Lake Forest.

Ledesma, 54, is due back in court next Tuesday after pleading not guilty to seven felony burglaries, as well as three misdemeanors.

The alleged thief was under the influence of methamphetamines, Orange County Sheriff's Spokesman Jim Amormino .

Prosecutors are calling it an example of organized retail crime. The idea is to steal a popular household item, then resell it on the black market.

"One theory is these drug users sell it on the street, swap meet, we’re not sure exactly where they’re selling them, but perhaps for $5 or $10," Amormino said in another interview.

Although several local news outlets claim Tide theft is on the rise, police agencies from Minnesota to Kentucky are disavowing that claim.

"We are not experiencing a 'wave' of Tide thefts," CVS/pharmacy public relations director Mike DeAngelis told a television station in a letter. "Theft of Tide is not a new issue in the retail industry."