Stolen bras recovered, but no bust made

A shipping trailer filled with 287 cartons of Maidenform brassieres was stolen from the company's Fayetteville plant four years ago. The merchandise was valued at about $400,000, authorities said.

Maidenform officials recently notified Cumberland County authorities that someone was trying to sell the stolen undergarments on the Craigslist Web site.

"Maidenform normally sells cartons to the retail stores, so when you have a private citizen that's selling cartons of the bras, that's going to send a red flag," said Detective Bobby Jeffers of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators were able to track the merchandise to a trailer – not the Maidenform shipping trailer – parked along Mabe Road, an undeveloped area near Parkton. They recovered 176 cartons of bras, Jeffers said.

Authorities are still trying to determine who is responsible for the theft and the subsequent attempt at selling the merchandise online.

Jeffers said authorities don't plan to prosecute anyone who bought one of the bras.

"When you buy things, even though they're stolen, (if you're) purchasing them in good faith, we're not going to hold people accountable," he said.

Anyone with information about the theft or online posting is asked to call the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office at 910-323-1500 or call in an anonymous tip to 910-484-8477.