Three suspects were arrested in Georgia after allegedly stealing $26,000 worth of 700 cans of powdered baby formula from metro Atlanta supermarkets.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert to law enforcement agencies in the area, according to the Cartersville Police Department, requesting officers keep an eye out for a car suspected of being involved in a series of shoplifting incidents at Publix supermarkets in which 700 cans of powdered baby formula were taken.
Three suspects were arrested in Georgia after allegedly stealing $26,000 worth of 700 cans of powdered baby formula from metro Atlanta supermarkets. (Photo: WSB-TV)
On Thursday, Cartersville Police officers discovered the vehicle in the parking lot of the city’s Publix on 300 Cherokee Place. Officers then waited outside the store for the suspects to leave.
Regulo Sanchez-Romero, Mateo Sanchez-Romero, and a 16-year-old juvenile were apprehended after leaving the store with 12 cans of stolen powdered baby formula.
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Officers searched the vehicle and discovered an additional 662 cans worth $26,000 with 700 cans of powdered baby formula, according to police.
The two adults were charged with felony theft by shoplifting and felony theft by receiving and contributing to a minor’s delinquency. Mateo Sanchez-Romero was also charged with providing a false name and date of birth, and Regulo Sanchez-Romero was accused of driving while unlicensed.
According to police, both men gave officers addresses in Dallas. They were both arrested and booked into the Bartow County Jail.
Investigators are attempting to determine whether the suspects were also involved in similar thefts in other jurisdictions.
This comes after FDA inspectors temporarily shut down the largest domestic formula factory in the United States due to bacterial contamination over the last year.
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