Officers with the Anna Police Department have busted a Louisiana man for multiple thefts from Home Depot.
Anna police arrested Frederick Lee Jones on October 24, after a license plate reader caught his car in the area, according to a press release. Now, Jones faces five felony theft charges.
“This arrest demonstrates the outstanding collaboration between our patrol officers and detectives,” said Anna Police Chief Dean Habel in the release. “Technology such as the Flock system and our drone program continues to be instrumental in solving crimes and keeping our community safe.”
A Flock license plate reader identified Jones’ car in Anna that day. According to the company’s website, the system allows police to create a “Custom Hot List” to flag suspects’ vehicles when they pass by.
The suspect had been wanted for a string of “organized retail theft incidents” at Home Depot in Anna since June, as well as at locations in other jurisdictions.
“Jones had developed a pattern of targeting the same store locations repeatedly, often returning within weeks of prior thefts,” the release reads.
Investigators determined his vehicle was a black 2017 Dodge Durango with Louisiana plates, so they entered this into the Flock system.
After the license plate reader flagged Jones’ vehicle, officers and detectives responded – and found the car in a local Walmart parking lot, according to the release. They began surveilling the car after noticing that Jones had apparently obscured the plate to avoid detection.
Police used drones to watch Jones’ vehicle while they waited for him to return. When Jones left the store, officers moved in and arrested him.
The department is still investigating his involvement in similar thefts throughout the region.
Jones is currently detained in the Collin County Jail, facing five charges for theft of property valued at less than $2,500 with two or more prior convictions, according to jail records. Officials impounded his car, and he is facing a total bond of $50,000.
Earlier in October, officers with the Dallas Police Department busted four suspects in a retail theft ring, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. Officials charged the suspects with theft of property valued between $2,500 and $30,000, and investigators recovered $21,000 in stolen goods.