King County prosecutors have filed theft charges against a Federal Way man allegedly caught wheeling a shopping cart past the Auburn police station with a stolen 50-inch television inside.

Police claim that Johnathon D. Barnes, 22, had snatched the TV from the back of a Quality Rentals delivery truck earlier that day as it sat unattended, according to charging papers.

According to charging papers, Kathleen Keator, executive director of the Auburn Downtown Association, called 911 at 5 p.m. on Dec. 16 to report that she’d just seen a man dressed all in camouflage remove a large television, still in its original packaging, from the Dumpster in the alley behind Rottles Apparel and Shoes, place it into a shopping cart and push the cart eastbound down East Main Street. Keator followed in her car.

An officer just then pulling into the police station parking lot saw a man pass by. According to charging papers, the officer thought that a “male subject pushing a shopping cart with a large boxed TV inside” while dressed in camouflage was an odd thing.

Just then, the officer heard Valley Com broadcast the call and realized the man he’d just seen matched the description of the thief.

According to charging papers, the officer caught up to the man in the parking lot of a gas station at 520 E. Main St. When the officer pulled in to the lot and came to a stop, the man hit the back of the patrol car with the cart. The officer asked him where he had gotten the TV from.

According to charging papers, Barnes told the officer that he had bought the set from a friend, but then he tried to run away. After a brief foot pursuit, the officer found Barnes lying on the ground in the parking lot at 416 E. Main St. and arrested him.

According to charging papers, police later discovered that the TV had in fact been stolen from Quality Rentals.

Barnes later denied any wrongdoing and then claimed that he was moving the television for his friend, James, according to charging papers.

“He explained ‘James’ … had asked him to push the big screen television one block away from the transit station,” the detective wrote.’” Barnes further explained he did not know ‘James’ last name, address or phone number or how to contact him.”

Barnes was booked into the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent later that day, but he has since been released. He is charged with second-degree theft. The arraignment is Monday.

According to charging papers, Barnes is a convicted felon with recent felony convictions for burglary and robbery.