Man traveling with suspects
The Dalton Police Department is asking for the public’s help identifying two people who used a stolen Target credit card to rack up more than $1,000 in fraudulent charges after stealing a woman’s wallet at a Dalton grocery store. The suspects were recorded on the store’s surveillance system.
The incident happened on July 12, around 1 p.m. at the Aldi grocery store on East Walnut Avenue. A woman shopping in the store realized that her wallet had been stolen from her purse that was left unattended several times while she was shopping in the store. The wallet contained $180 in cash as well as several identification cards and credit cards.
After the victim reported the theft, a Dalton officer reviewed the surveillance video from the store and saw a black man and a black woman following the woman in the store. The man was recorded standing near the woman’s cart and purse while it was unattended.
While investigating this incident, the victim was in the process of canceling her stolen cards and learned that her Target card had just been used to make a purchase worth $1,175.31 at the Target store in Cartersville, Ga. After retrieving the video from the Cartersville store, Dalton investigators determined that the couple using the card at Target were the same people who were observed near the victim’s bag at the Aldi. The two suspects were with a third man at the Target store.
The female suspect, wearing a red or pink colored shirt, entered the Target store first, walking around with the second man (this man wore a blue shirt with light blue writing and was not part of the theft in the Aldi). The woman made the $1,175.31 purchase and then left the store and returned to a silver or possibly gold SUV in the parking lot.
Then the male suspect from the Aldi theft, wearing a white shirt and black ball cap, entered the store with the stolen card and attempted to make a second purchase for $633.95, but the card was declined. The trio then left together in the SUV.
Anyone who recognizes these individuals or who has information about this crime is asked to contact Detective Brian Shirley at 706-278-9085, extension 9189.