Wal-Mart Cell Phone Theft Ring Busted in 'Bama; Ga., Fla. Stores Also Targeted Say Cops

BOAZ, Ala. (CBS/WHNT) Police in a Boaz, Ala. Wal-Mart busted five people allegedly involved in a cell phone theft spree that previously targeted Wal-Marts in Georgia and Florida.

Store security guards contacted police Sunday, July 25 because they believed the perps, a woman, two men, and two men dressed as women, were stealing various merchandise.

Police rushed to the scene and apprehended Precious Darnika Humphrey, 19, Terrell Marquae Jolly, 21, Jarquez Levell Dancy 23, and Trevor Devante Baker, 18. The identity of the fifth suspect is unknown because he or she is a minor, reports CBS affiliate WHNT.

Altogether the suspects had 19 new, packaged cell phones in their possession.

Boaz Police Chief Terry Davis told The Gadsden Times that the two men who were dressed as women usually dress that way and were not attempting to disguise themselves.

Police say they discovered the suspects had been involved in numerous cell phone thefts totaling $70,000.

Apparently, the Boaz police were not the only force who had been searching for them, says WHNT.

To name a few, the Guntersville Police, Talladega Police, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, and Cullman Police, as well as police in Snellville and Marietta, Georgia, and Wal-Mart Asset Protection, were all looking into the case.

According to WHNT, each of the suspects is charged with receiving stolen property in the first degree, and two of the adults are also charged with first degree theft of property, stemming from a theft at the Wal-Mart in Guntersville on July 13, in which $6,500 in cell phones were taken.