JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A woman and two men were arrested following a series of beer thefts at gas stations in two parts of town, according to reports from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
The Sheriff's Office said that, on Tuesday at about 2:24 a.m., police were sent to a Circle K on Atlantic Boulevard in reference to a theft. Investigators determined about $100 worth of merchandise had been stolen from the convenience store.
A day later, the Sheriff's Office said, three more gas stations, including a Shell gas station on Atlantic Boulevard, a Marathon gas station on Dunn Avenue and a BP gas station on Broward Road, reported thefts.
According to the Sheriff's Office, officers were sent to the Shell station at about 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday. They responded to thefts at the Marathon and BP stations around 12:15 p.m. and 12:25 p.m., respectively. Overall, about $284 in merchandise was taken.
Employees at the BP told News4Jax the suspects came in like ordinary customers, grabbed cases of Corona and acting as though they were going to checkout. When they got closer, they instead ran out the door.
News4Jax crime and safety analyst Ken Jefferson said people who do this generally move fast and don't do it for personal consumption.
"They're stealing these things to sell. There's a market for it," Jefferson said. “They go so quickly to these places. It’s hard to catch up with them. As one is being reported, they’re stealing from somewhere else."
The worker at the BP station told police he saw a suspect get into a gray Chevy Impala with a Florida tag, the Sheriff's Office said. The same car was seen leaving the Shell station.
In the evening, the car was spotted in a JCPenney parking lot on Arlington Expressway, police said, and the trio inside matched the description of the suspects.
Marcus Barr, 26, Tre' Corbett, 27, and Neshell Washington, 21, were arrested. They were charged with organized fraud and petty theft.