Thieves who allegedly made off with merchandise from Ace Hardware and a Nike Outlet have been nabbed by the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force. Reports identify the suspects as 42-year-old Josef Hartmout Lugo of Simi Valley, 36-year-old Jamaal Reilly of Oxnard, and 38-year-old Nickol Rosser of Newport Beach. The trio was busted on felony organized retail theft charges, and with the stolen goods in tow, the task force put an end to their operation.
According to the official release, the retail raiding saga unfolded on May 22nd when detectives tracked down Reilly, who was allegedly spotted stealing a haul of tools worth hundreds from Ace Hardware in Thousand Oaks. Awaiting in a getaway car after Reilly and Lugo hit up the Nike Outlet in Camarillo, Rosser was caught with the loot, quickly apprehended by the diligent detectives with the support of Camarillo patrol deputies.
Later, the Simi Valley Police expanded the investigation with a search at Lugo's realm on Arcane Ave., where additional items filched from Ace Hardware found their way into the hands of law enforcement. The VCORTTF and its allied officers echoed their commitment to stifle the multimillion-dollar plague of organized theft, their mission clearly outlined in the task force's objectives.
The suspects' fates are now in the hands of justice, as Lugo and Rosser have been released - the former on his own recognizance and the latter on a $20,000 bond, while Reilly remains behind bars, unable to post the $30,000 bail set. The trio's hearing is appointed for June 5th in Ventura County Superior Court, as reported by Sergeant Baltazar Tapia. In the struggle to protect Ventura businesses from the organized crime's grasp, the task force leans on community tips to take down the theft rings. They urge anyone with information to speak up, making the anonymous call that could break the case wide open.
While Ventura County's streets might be a bit safer for now, the task force, born out of a grant from the California Retail Theft Prevention Program, continues to chase down leads. They remain vigilant, working in concert with businesses and residents, to ensure an organized crime-free shopping experience across Ventura County.
