Two separate liquor thefts were reported at Kroger in Dundee on Monday, Aug. 10, according to the Dundee Police Department.
The first theft occurred at 5 p.m. Four men, one white man and three black men, loaded a car with nearly $1,000 of liquor and alcohol. They then proceeded past the checkout and left the store. Kroger employees and witnesses followed them.
The suspects were told that the police were on their way as they loaded a red 2017 Alfa Romeo sedan with the stolen alcohol. While they were loading, a store employee was able to retrieve the grocery cart, which still had $549 worth the stolen merchandise in it, and return it to the store. The suspects then jumped in their car and sped out of the lot, police said.
Dundee police officers responded and searched for the car’s Virginia license plate in the Flock License Plate Reader system. They determined that the suspects likely headed eastbound after the theft, as the plate was not identified on the village’s cameras downtown or near US-23. A further check discovered the plate was recorded in Monroe and the Detroit area.
While still investigating the first theft, the Dundee police were called back to Kroger at 5:55 p.m. for another retail fraud involving liquor.
The manager said that a white man had grabbed two bottles of liquor and ran out the store to a vehicle. They were able to obtain an image of the suspect vehicle, though a portion of the license number was obscured. However, when officers searched the partial plate with the FLOCK system, it returned with several recent images of the vehicle in the Dundee area, including a clear image of the plate.
Checking the registration identified the vehicles owner as an 18-year-old individual from Dundee who was known to area officers. While traveling to the suspect’s residence, the investigating officer saw the suspect vehicle on a nearby roadway.
Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and the driver admitted to stealing the items, according to police. He was arrested and lodged in the Monroe County Jail.
The investigation into the first theft is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Dundee Police Sgt. Bryan Sparks at bsparks@villageofdundee.net.
— Contact reporter Connor Veenstra at CVeenstra@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Dundee police arrest teen after Kroger liquor theft
Reporting by Connor Veenstra, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Connor Veenstra, The Monroe News | USA TODAY Network
