Three men in the possession of almost $12,000 worth of stolen clothing were arrested Tuesday evening at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets, Limerick Township police said today.
Police were called to the mall when security personnel observed the men walking back and forth between the stores and a parked van with Virginia license plates. The men appeared to be dumping large amounts of clothing into the van, police said.
According to police, the men abandoned the van and fled on foot when officers arrived at the scene. Two of the men discarded their coats in an attempt to change their appearance, but were seen by police and apprehended shortly thereafter. The other man attempted to steal a jacket from the Banana Republic store to alter his own appearance. He, too, was soon apprehended.
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Police obtained a search warrant for the van. The search yielded road maps to malls in eight states, including local maps for the Coventry Mall, the Exton Square Mall, the Berkshire Mall, the Fairground Square Mall, the Quaker Hills Mall, and the Park City Mall.
Police said they recovered "numerous duffel type bags packed with clothing that still had security sensors attached." Police counted 291 items of allegedly stolen merchandise with a retail value of $11,876.56. The men were also in the possession of counterfeit Social Security cards and other bogus identification materials.
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Police identified the three men as:
- Julio Rivera, aka Douglas Hernandez, 34, of the 100 block of Fulton St, Philadelphia
- Carlos Grados, 31, of the 3700 block of 86th St, Jackson Heights, NY
- Luis Estrada, 35, of the unit block of S. Second St, Elizabeth, NJ
Police said the men were charged with organized retail theft "and numerous related charges." They were arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Walter Gadzicki and transported to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail.
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Pennsylvania State Police reported the arrest of a Gilbertsville woman on charges of narcotics possession on Wednesday afternoon after her vehicle was stopped on the westbound lanes of U.S. Route 422 in Limerick.
Police said they stopped the 1986 Dodge belonging to Taylor Lynn Lawler, 30, because Lawler was wanted on an outstanding warrant. Lawler was the front seat passenger in the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was found to be driving with a suspended license, police said.
Lawler was found to be in the possession of "suspected narcotics and related paraphernalia." Lawler was arraigned and released on bail.
