Delaware State Police have arrested two people at the Rehoboth Tanger outlets in connection with what troopers describe as an organized retail theft operation.
The incident occurred around 12:35 p.m. on Dec. 22, after troopers were dispatched to the Sunglass Hut at 34986 Midway Outlet Drive.
Store employees were reporting that two females had entered the store and made a $440.00 purchase using a pre-paid American Express credit card and approximately eight minutes later, attempted to make a $380.00 purchase on the same card but were denied by the credit card company due to suspicious activity. The two females fled the store and were seen leaving in a white Cadillac Escalade.
Troopers in the area of the outlets were able to find the vehicle matching the description the employees had given parked in the parking lot near the Sunglass Hut outlet with no one inside.
Within minutes, a female exited the Dooney & Burke retail store and began walking toward the parked SUV.
She was taken into custody and provided what later turned out to be a false name. A male suspect was also seen in the Dooney & Bourke store with the female and when seeing a trooper dropped a bag and attempted to walk away. He was taken into custody, and the bag in which he dropped was recovered and contained two small baggies of powered cocaine (0.7 grams).
A search warrant was obtained on the white Cadillac and detectives located multiple American Express pre-paid credit cards still in the manufacturer’s packaging, a laptop computer, a credit card coder/swiping device, and merchandise from various retail outlets, including Victoria’s Secrets, Michael Kors, Timberland, and Rack Room Shoes. All of the items were returned to the stores.
The investigation revealed the suspects would enter the different Tanger Outlet stores and make purchases or attempt to make purchases on items using the pre-paid credit cards that were coded with various victims’ account numbers. Some of the purchases were greater than $800.00 and one attempt was for more than $1,200.00 but was denied.
Lakorya Harrison, 31 of Raleigh, NC and Joshua R. Knox, 28 of Lawrenceville, GA were taken to Troop 4 in Georgetown where Harrison was charged with two counts of Identity Theft, Organized Retail Theft, two counts of Forgery 2nd, Criminal Impersonation, Conspiracy 2nd, two counts of Theft under $1500, and two counts of Attempted Theft under $1500.
Knox was charged with Identity Theft, Possession of a Controlled Substance (Cocaine), Organized Retail Theft, Conspiracy 2nd, Theft under $1500, Attempted Theft under $1500, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Lakorya Harrison was taken to Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution in lieu $29,000.00 cash bond, and Joshua Know was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution after failing to post a $20,000 cash bond.
The relationship between the two is unknown and there are no surveillance photos available depicting others believed to be involved in the ring.
If anyone has any information about this incident or others who may be involved can call Detective T. Shockley at 302-752-3812.
