Kelso police arrested a father and son late Monday night in connection with a shoplifting incident at a sporting goods store and theft of a change machine from a grocery store.

Donald Ray Weddel, 55, Longview, and Joshua Tyler Weddel, 22, Kelso, were charged with felony retail theft and booked into the Cowlitz County Jail. Bail was set at $45,000 each.

According to a police report, earlier this month, the Weddels allegedly entered the Big 5 Sporting Goods at Three Rivers Mall empty-handed, pulled clothing and other items off the shelves and went to the register, claiming they had purchased the items and wished to return them. During two other incidents in January, the father and son allegedly went to a Big 5 in Vancouver, grabbed a snowboard and tried to return it, repeating the ruse about two weeks later at the Kelso store, the report said. In each instance, they left the stores with the unpaid merchandise, the report said.

A Big 5 employee also found two Big 5 gift cards on sale on Craigslist, which were linked back to the Weddels, the police report said.

Last week, Joshua Weddel allegedly grabbed a change machine from the Safeway store at Three Rivers Mall. Typically, the change machines hold about $100, the police report said.

Monday night, a Safeway employee, recognizing the younger Weddel from a surveillance tape, called to report he was outside the store. Police arrested Joshua Weddel and also questioned an 18-year-old woman who was with him. The woman admitted she had helped the Weddels put the gift cards on Craigslist and also gave police a statement implicating the young man had stolen the change machine, the report said.

Police then called the elder Weddel and asked him to come get his son at the police station because he was shoplifiting, the report said. Police arrested Donald Weddel upon his arrival.

According to the police report and The Daily News archives, Donald Weddel has been convicted six times for second-degree burglary, one time for first-degree burglary, three times for second-degree theft and two times for possession of stolen property.

Joshua Weddel has been convicted three times for second-degree burglary, the report said.