Charles County Sheriff’s detectives assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division arrested two suspects immediately after they grabbed numerous fragrances from a department store and attempted to flee without paying.

On January 10 at 10:30 a.m., during a surveillance operation, Detective Hooper – who had previously coordinated with the store’s loss prevention staff – observed two people enter a store and grab a large amount of fragrances, which they put into bags and fled the store without paying for the items. Detective Hooper and loss prevention personnel apprehended the suspects. Patrol officers scanned the parking lot and observed an unoccupied silver Mercedes nearby with the engine running. Further investigation revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen from another jurisdiction. The key fob to the vehicle was located on one of the theft suspects. All of the stolen merchandise, with a commercial value of more than $11,000, was recovered.

Detectives have connected the suspects to an organized retail theft ring operating throughout the region. “These retail thefts are causing businesses to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars nationwide. Our detectives noted a pattern and coordinated a well-thought-out plan to apprehend the suspects. Their hard work paid off in recovering the store’s merchandise and arresting those responsible for the theft,” said Sheriff Troy D. Berry.

The suspects, Chawnniece Rickelle Mitchell, age 25, and Gary Denali Goodridge, age 26, both of Washington, D.C., were charged with two counts of theft. On January 10, a judge released Mitchell from the Charles County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond. On January 11, a judge ordered Goodridge to be held without bond. Detective Hooper is continuing the investigation.

CONTACT:
Diane Richardson
Media Relations Office
301-609-6557 or 240-682-1658

The CCSO was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) in 2001 and has since earned the highest rating of Excellence. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us. 

Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted online at www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com or by using the P3Intel mobile app, which can be found in the Android Store and Apple store by searching P3tips. For more information about the P3 program, click on this link: www.p3intel.com.  

 

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