A two-day retail theft operation in northern St. Johns County resulted in five arrests and the recovery of thousands of dollars in merchandise, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
The operation, conducted Aug. 3 and Aug. 4 by the Sheriff’s Office Property Crimes Unit with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, focused on organized retail theft activity at businesses on Durbin Pavilion Drive.
Arrests reported at Burlington and Ross
On Aug. 3, detectives observed three people enter Burlington and Ross and leave with merchandise that had not been paid for, the sheriff’s office said.
Carlos Garvin, 20; Ivory Monroe, 25; and Laroy Cannon, 28, were arrested on charges of retail theft over $750 while working in concert. Investigators estimated the merchandise taken from the two stores at about $1,400.
The sheriff’s office said Monroe also had an active Jacksonville theft warrant. Garvin was on probation in connection with an earlier retail theft offense, according to the agency.
Home Depot case followed the next day
On Aug. 4, Home Depot loss-prevention staff alerted detectives after a man was seen leaving the store with a cart of unpaid merchandise, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives arrested Zane Sublett, 32, after he left the store and ran upon seeing law enforcement vehicles, according to the agency. He was charged with grand theft and resisting without violence. The sheriff’s office said the merchandise involved was valued at more than $1,500.
Deputies also stopped an SUV connected to the incident and arrested passenger Daron Johnson, 32, on active warrants, the sheriff’s office said.
The Sheriff’s Office said the operation was intended to address organized retail theft, which it says can create losses for businesses and affect consumers.