BERKELEY COUNTY, W.Va. — Authorities have arrested two suspects believed to be part of a retail theft ring that targeted stores across West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina over a span of just two days.
The arrests followed a shoplifting complaint at the Target store in the Retail Commons shopping center. Witnesses told deputies that four individuals — two men and two women — had fled the store with a large haul of merchandise and escaped in a blue Nissan Rogue with Florida license plates.
A deputy spotted the suspect vehicle near the intersection of Retail Commons Parkway and Apple Harvest Drive and initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle refused to stop, continuing for about a mile before exiting onto King Street. After navigating through nearby parking lots, the vehicle came to a halt at the Red Roof Inn, where all four suspects attempted to flee on foot.
Deputies apprehended Aleges Merabal, 49, who was identified as the driver, and Hillarys Rodriguez, 28, a passenger. Both now face felony charges including:
Conspiracy
Grand Larceny
Transporting Stolen Property into West Virginia
A search of the SUV revealed a trunk filled with $26,472 worth of merchandise stolen from Target. Recovered items included cosmetics, clothing, and household goods, which were returned to Target’s loss prevention department.
Authorities are still searching for the two remaining suspects and say the investigation is expanding across state lines, potentially uncovering further coordinated theft activity.
