A shoplifting ring that has reportedly been operating across the North Georgia area for at least a month came to a dramatic end on Saturday, March 29, when three women were arrested shortly after allegedly shoplifting from the Clarkesville Package Store.
The women involved in the shoplifting ring now face numerous charges filed by multiple jurisdictions, with more charges anticipated.
The women, identified as Jade Kinsley Stewart, Amiah Unique Lovette, and Ja’Naysia Nichelle Joyce Anderson, were apprehended by Habersham County deputies after a BOLO (Be On the Look Out) was issued for their vehicle following the shoplifting incident in Clarkesville.
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The three women, all in their late teens, face a slew of charges in multiple jurisdictions, including charges in three cities in Northeast Georgia and additional charges from Habersham County. A total of 19 arrest warrants have been issued for the three suspects, including charges of shoplifting, drug possession, and aggravated assault. More charges are expected from other cities and counties in Georgia, and potentially from Florida as well.
Toccoa/Baldwin
According to Toccoa Police Chief Bruce Carlisle, the ring has been targeting liquor stores in Georgia, from Augusta and north, and possibly in surrounding states such as Alabama and Florida. Their primary focus appears to be top-shelf liquor.
The investigation into the group’s criminal activities began on March 1, when Toccoa Police Department Investigator David Cannon and Baldwin Police Department Investigator Peter Bartholomew started looking into shoplifting incidents at liquor stores in their cities.
SEE ALSO: Baldwin and Toccoa Police seek help identifying theft suspects
According to reports, the women struck several times, with the first notable incident occurring at the 365 Beverage Superstore in Baldwin around 12:40 p.m. on Saturday, March 1. The women allegedly stole approximately $200 worth of liquor. About an hour later, they are believed to have stolen around $1,917 worth of liquor from Big A Tobacco in Toccoa.
In both of these incidents, a man was seen accompanying the women, though he has yet to be identified by authorities.
South Georgia
The investigation soon expanded as Cannon received a tip from a liquor store in Pooler, GA, where the same suspects appeared to have stolen goods. Surveillance footage shared on social media by The Liquor Land in Pooler showed at least two women, wearing face masks and medical scrubs, alongside a man, also wearing medical scrubs and a face mask, all suspected of shoplifting.
Cannon later received confirmation from the Pooler Police Department that the suspects involved in two theft cases in Pooler were the same individuals responsible in the Toccoa shoplifting incidents.
Florida cases
Further calls from Florida provided additional clues to the suspects’ movements. One call came from an employee reporting that the same women had shoplifted at a store in Ponce De Leon, while another call came from an investigator in Jackson County, FL.
Both Florida locations are just south of Dothan, AL, indicating that the suspects may have also been operating in southern Alabama as well.
Cannon revealed that the suspects would use Google Maps to identify small towns with liquor stores to target. They would then drive from Florida with the intent to steal from those stores and return home to sell the stolen items. Cannon also received information that Anderson and Lovette would recruit random people to join in their shoplifting operations.
SEE ALSO: Clarkesville Package Store shoplifting suspects identified
In addition to the multiple charges in Georgia, one of the suspects, Jade Kinsley Stewart, was charged by Habersham County with being a fugitive from justice. This charge stems from a motor vehicle theft in Manatee County, FL, further complicating the women’s criminal activities.
As the investigation continues, law enforcement officials are working across multiple states to track down additional stolen property and identify any other individuals involved in the ring. The arrested women now face serious charges in multiple jurisdictions, and authorities are continuing to piece together their crime spree across the southeastern United States.
