The Fairfax County Police Department has charged three suspects for their involvement in “a series of organized retail thefts.” The target of these thefts? Candles. More than $30,000 worth of candles, to be specific.
According to FCPD, the three suspects — all from Washington, DC — conducted a series of 15 thefts between February and May. In each of these instances, the suspects stole merchandise with retail values ranging from $600 to $4,319. The thefts happened in Kingstowne, Fair Oaks, and Springfield.
Police were first alerted to the candle-stealing scheme on February 2, when they received a report that three suspects had entered a business and taken merchandise. Afterward, FCPD received reports of several similar thefts, “revealing a clear pattern of organized retail theft.”
Detectives from the Fugitive Tracking and Apprehension Team and the U.S. Marshals arrested three suspects on May 29:
- Delontae Shaw, 34, of Washington, DC, was arrested and charged with 10 counts of grand larceny and 10 counts of larceny with intent to sell.
- Sincere Stewart, 25, of Washington, DC, was arrested and charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit larceny.
- Devon Owens, 28, of Washington, DC, was arrested and charged with five counts of grand larceny and five counts of larceny with intent to sell.
All three suspects are being held at the Washington DC Central Detention Facility.
Anyone with additional information can call the Franconia District police station at 703-922-0889 or submit a tip through Crime Solvers.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
