Suspects take a bite out of Walmart Apple inventory in Virginia; over $100,000 worth
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Despite disguising themselves as Walmart employees, three suspects were identified and connected to Walmart robberies across Virginia after allegedly stealing over $100,000 worth of Apple products. Several of the robberies were in Hampton Roads.
Previous Coverage: Docs: Suspects stole almost $40,000 of Apple products from Walmart
Walmart Senior Manager for Global Investigations Jeff Meyer identified the suspects after three men entered the Walmart on 632 Grassfield Pkwy., in Chesapeake, and stole around $38,000 worth of Apple products back in January. WAVY confirmed through court documents that similar thefts occurred in other Virginia cities, totaling around $118,000. A fourth suspect was later identified after being connected to the car used in the thefts. The investigation recovered some of the stolen goods as well as clothing items matching descriptions used in the thefts.
On Jan. 4, three of the suspects went into the Chesapeake Walmart and used a tool to open the casings holding the Apple products, stealing around $38,000 worth of merchandise, and left in a dark pickup truck, Meyer said.
The first suspect wore all black with a beanie, and was around 6-feet tall. The second one was around 5’7″ and wore black with red shoes, and appeared to be wearing a Walmart employee badge. The third suspect was around 5’7″ to 5’10” and 115 lbs., and wore a grey zip-up hoodie covering his head, a black medical mask and a pair of black-rimmed glasses.
Based on descriptions provided by Meyer, the suspects were identified as Taeyon McClease, Tony McClease, Alexander Newman, respectively. And the owner of the car was identified as Ariana Orkney.
Meyer connected the same suspects to Apple thefts at Walmarts in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Yorktown and South Hill Virginia between December and January. Meyer provided suspect names he believed to be involved in the Virginia robberies after some of them were identified in other criminal cases in North and South Carolina.
Tony McClease and Newman were identified in connection to Roxboro, N.C., thefts. Tony McClease was identified based on tattoos seen in footage that matched prior booking photos, and by wearing the same clothing in the Jan. 4 Chesapeake Walmart robbery, Meyer said. Newman was identified after his mask fell off. Both are still wanted in Roxboro on outstanding warrants.
The last suspect was identified as Taeyon McClease, confirmed to be Tony’s brother, who had been arrested in a Walmart for shoplifting in Virginia and counterfeiting in North Carolina. He was identified through arrest and DMV photos.
The suspected vehicle, a 2006 Ford F150, was purchased by the fourth suspect, Orkney, on Aug. 26, and still maintained its Texas plates. The truck was found in Hampton, and was used in the Grassfield and South Hill Walmart thefts.
A traffic stop was conducted on the F150 with Tony identified as the driver despite originally handing them Newman’s ID. Tony was arrested on active warrants.
Police found a narcotic as well as two cell phones, a gun, a new apple iPad box matching the serial number of one stolen from Walmart, Meyer said. Two industrial lock keys were also found. Before being stopped, the truck was seen in a U-Haul facility, which are often sites to store stolen goods, Meyer said.
A search warrant on the car recovered Orkney’s vehicle title of the car, a U-Haul receipt, a pair of black rimmed glasses, black medical mask, additional clothing matching suspects descriptions, a crowbar, screwdrivers, Walmart smocks and a Walmart ID badge.
No charges have been filed yet for the Chesapeake Walmart thefts, but Tony McClease is facing charges connected to a theft at a Norfolk Walmart.
Check with WAVY.com for updates.
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