Five men charged in Mooresville as part of organized retail theft ring: Police

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Five men have been arrested as part of a scheme to sell heavy equipment they rented, according to the Mooresville Police Department.

On November 10, officers say they were alerted by Lowes Home Improvement Corporate Security about a theft of heavy equipment from a Lowes store in Mooresville.

According to detectives, they learned that an organized group was responsible for this theft and for several thefts from Lowes stores “across the region”.

The group would place ads on social media selling the heavy equipment and, once the suspects had an unsuspecting buyer, the group would rent the equipment from Lowes in order to sell, officials state.

Mooresville Police say they found an ad from the group, and the decision was made for detectives to pose as buyers.

On November 15, authorities state that the group brought the stolen equipment to sell but were arrested by detectives once they arrived at the meeting spot. The equipment, worth $40,000, was returned to Lowes Security.

Five men were arrested: 30-year-old Javon Williams of Raleigh; 29-year-old Anthony Jones of Raleigh; 30-year-old Latrayvion Alston of Raleigh; 30-year-old Oroyster Miles, III of Raleigh; and 33-year-old Marcus Myatt of Wake Forest. They are charged with the following:

• Felony Organized Retail Theft

• Felony Conspiracy

• Felony Attempt to Obtain Property by False Pretenses

• Felony Possession Stolen Property

Investigators say all five suspects were either out on bond for other charges or were on probation, so the men are currently being held without bond at the Iredell County Detention Center.

This investigation is ongoing and officials say additional charges are expected from other jurisdictions.

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