STARKVILLE — The Starkville Police Department is still searching for two suspects wanted for stealing four touch-screen computers from Wal-Mart over the past three months, and a woman suspected of illegally using another woman”s debit card to purchase items from the same store.
Starkville police last week released security camera photos of two suspects wanted in the computer theft case and have since interviewed one person, but the man had a valid alibi and was not charged with the crime, SPD Detective Landon Stamps said Wednesday.
Police also stopped a car matching the description of a vehicle seen at Wal-Mart during all three computer theft incidents — a white, older-model, box-style Cadillac or Lincoln — but the traffic stop yielded no suspects, Stamps said.
“We have no (additional) leads as of yet …” Stamps said. “At this time, I”ve got a blurry (security camera) picture and that”s about it.”
The latest computer theft took place the evening of Feb. 19, when a black male put two Hewlett Packard touch-screen desktop units in a cart and walked out of the store without paying, despite a greeter”s attempt to stop him, Stamps said. The man is described as middle-aged, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall, with a slender build.
It was the second such incident in February.
On Feb. 11, a different man, whom Stamps described as black, about 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-8, and younger than the suspect in the Feb. 19 theft, also attempted to leave Wal-Mart with two HP touch screen computers, but a greeter at the door stepped in front of the cart and put her hand on it to stop him, Stamps said. The suspect then left his cart and ran from the store.
The same suspect did make it out of the store in a November incident, however, when he attempted to leave with two HP touch-screen computers without paying and a greeter asked to see his receipt. Instead of stopping, he continued walking out the door, Stamps said.
The computers were valued at approximately $880 a piece. Both men tried disguising the computers by covering them with poster board, Stamps said.
Identity theft
Police also are calling on the public”s help to identity a woman who illegally used a Missouri woman”s debit card to purchase items at Wal-Mart in late January.
The incident occurred the evening of Jan. 31, when a black female with two small children purchased a flat-screen television, several Nintendo Wii games and multiple iTunes gift cards, Stamps said. He did not disclose the amount of charges the suspect put on the victim”s debit card.
The suspect first tried to use a different credit or debit card to make the purchases, but the card was rejected, Stamps said. It was only then when the suspect used the duplicate debit card, which can be obtained from a bank if a person says their original is lost, belonging to a woman from Missouri, he said.
“The problem we”ve got is our victim is from out of state,” Stamps said last week. “She”s never even been to Starkville. She didn”t even know where Starkville was. She has no idea how this (suspect) got a duplicate debit card.”
Police released security camera photos of the suspect walking out of Wal-Mart with a TV in her cart and the two children in tow, but she kept the hood of her white jacket on throughout her time in the store and no clear images of her face were available. Police also released an image of a dark, four-door vehicle exiting the Wal-Mart parking lot believed to have been driven by the suspect.
Anyone with information on either case is asked to call the Starkville Police Department at 662-323-4131, or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151.
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