Annapolis MD. Jan 5 2008
County police say a pair of shoplifters have brazenly walked out of local stores with two flat-screen televisions, 20 ink cartridges and at least one kitchen mixer during a two-week holiday theft spree.
The men are believed to have hit at least four stores in the area since Dec. 20, stealing $3,000 worth of merchandise in the middle of the work day, often setting off alarms, getting caught on security cameras and ignoring store security officers.
Police said the thieves simply walked out of the Office Depot at the Annapolis Harbour Center Dec. 20 with as many as 20 printer cartridges valued at $1,000.According to a police report the thieves "made several trips from the store to the outside and each time they set off the theft detection alarm." Nevertheless, the duo were able to escape with their loot.T
he store manager said he could not comment on the theft and referred questions to the corporate office.
A corporate representative could not be reached for comment.
The shoplifting streak didn't end when the holidays passed.On Dec. 27, the pair stole a $400 KitchenAid 6-quart mixer from the Bed Bath and Beyond store in the same shopping center.The thieves' most lucrative haul came two days later, when they walked out of the Jennifer Road Circuit City with a pair of flat-screen televisions valued at $1,500.According to police, the first man walked into the store and picked up a television from a display and pretended to browse before leaving the box near the store's entrance. The first man left the building and then the second thief entered, grabbed the television and walked right back out the entrance door. Ten minutes later the pair repeated the procedure, only this time catching the eye of store security.
According to a police report, security "confronted suspect No. 2, who completely ignored him and continued walking with the stolen television into the store's parking lot." The second thief jumped into a van driven by his partner and the two men drove away.An official from the store could not be reached for comment.Police said the first man is white, between the ages of 25 and 30 years old with a bald head and was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. The second suspect is a heavyset black male between the ages of 30 and 40 years old who was last seen wearing a purple football jersey and white hooded jacket.
In every instance, the same pair was seen leaving the scene in a white van with Virginia license plate KHD 7031. According to police, the van, owned by the Rental Car Finance Corp. in Alexandria, Va., was rented from an office in the Verizon Center in Washington."They haven't determined yet if the vehicle is stolen because they haven't been able to contact whoever's rented it," said Cpl. Mark Shawkey, a police spokesman.Representatives from the rental company could not be reached for comment this morning.
The same van is linked to a Christmas Eve disorderly conduct call at a Davidsonville Road CVS pharmacy.Police said the pharmacy called to report a customer harassing a cashier before leaving in a white van that matches the description of the vehicle in the other thefts. Investigators said they believe the men may have been trying to steal the store's cash register.Police said the thieves may have committed other thefts that have gone unreported."A lot of stores will not prosecute in some instances if they get their stuff back," Cpl. Shawkey said.
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