A District man is facing enhanced theft charges after swiping goods from a CVS, authorities say. Michael Smith, 26, was indicted on Wednesday on a count of felony second-degree theft tied to an October snatch-and-dash at a pharmacy in Northwest Washington, the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed.
The government alleges that on October 6, Smith filled a bag with merchandise and breezed out of the CVS on Georgia Avenue sans payment. This isn't his first rodeo—Smith has a history of theft, with two prior convictions decorating his rap sheet, hence the tougher charge, which could slap him with a mandatory one-year jail term for each count, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Smith's indictment isn't alone. It's the most recent in a spree since last September. The District's prosecutors have brought 36 cases of felony second-degree theft to court, targeting defendants with multiple theft instances in their past, the U.S. Attorney's Office notes.
Smith awaits his April 8 arraignment before a judge at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Should the evidence stack up, he might just trade the CVS aisles for a cell block’s confines. The case against Smith was pieced together by the MPD and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erika Norman. The full scope of the indictment and details of the 36 similar cases were outlined in the announcement made earlier this week.
