Five people have been arrested and charged in connection with reported thefts of merchandise from various businesses last month, including four people in Reston alone.
The arrests, which occurred between March 17-27, were part of what the Fairfax County Police Department called a “coordinated enforcement effort” that resulted in 17 felony and 15 misdemeanor charges.
Among the targeted businesses were Home Depot and Target.
“Retail theft continues to impact businesses throughout the region,” the FCPD said yesterday (Wednesday) when announcing the arrests. “Detectives are working with retailers and regional law enforcement partners to identify offenders, serve outstanding warrants and disrupt repeat theft activity targeting Fairfax County businesses.”
One of the suspects, a 38-year-old man arrested on March 18, is also believed to have taken stolen items and resold them to secondhand stores.
Police say the man was caught “actively stealing” by a loss prevention officer at a store in the 12000 block of Sunset Hills Road in Reston that day. He was ultimately taken into custody after a “brief” foot pursuit.
According to the FCPD, investigators tied the man to seven different cases where he allegedly resold stolen items, including thefts reported in Loudoun County.
That pattern of activity was identified in “several cases” as part of this investigation, police said.
“While these incidents are not necessarily tied to a single organized group, detectives observed a pattern of frequent offenders targeting merchandise that could be quickly resold,” the FCPD said.
The four others arrested and charged are:
- A 60-year-old man from Reston was arrested March 22 in the 12000 block of Sunset Hills Road (Reston) and accused of “stealing high-end grooming products”
- A 21-year-old Sterling resident was arrested March 26 in the 11800 block of Baron Cameron Avenue (Reston) and had a warrant served for receiving stolen goods
- An 18-year-old man from Reston was arrested March 27 in the 11800 block of Baron Cameron Avenue (Reston) after a larceny was reported at a nearby business
- A 19-year-old woman from Fairfax was arrested March 27 in the 13000 block of Fair Lakes Shopping Center and served outstanding warrants for petit larceny
Several other similar incidents remain under investigation, according to the FCPD.
