Two women, Danielle Custard and Latoya Carter, have been arrested on over 30 active warrants after being linked to a spate of retail thefts dating back to 2019 across four counties, as reported by FOX19. U.S. Marshals joined forces with the Fairfield Township Police Department and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office to bring the suspects into custody, who were wanted across Butler, Warren, Hamilton counties in Ohio, and Boone County, Kentucky.
The U.S Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) played a pivotal role in the arrest, which marked the end of a long-term investigation into the thefts from stores including Carters, Old Navy, and Kohl’s Custard, alone accounted for a swathe of thefts amounting to thousands of dollars, she had 24 active warrants and Carter had eight, this is according to information shared by WHIO.
Investigators had been pursuing the pair since their alleged theft operations began, noting their proficiency in evading capture by residing at non-public addresses, according to a WLWT interview with Sgt. Brandon McCroskey of the Fairfield Township police. McCroskey describes a "large-scale scheme" where the suspects resold the stolen merchandise, with store personnel and loss prevention well-aware of their identities, and how they led police on a car chase, though officers did not pursue due to the non-violent nature of the crimes.
During the capture, Custard was found hiding under a mattress box spring, a tactic that momentarily obscured her from the law’s gaze, whereas Carter had been previously detained since Jan. 13 in Butler County Jail, now both charged with a raft of theft related actions, they had endeavored to fade into the sinew of the ordinary, pinching the fruits of retail labor only to have their run end in iron6 grasps of justice, Custard's attorney has since attempted to lower her bond due to a high-risk pregnancy, claims were backed up by her absence of a heartbeat for her unborn child, but the judge denied the request, with a $130,000 bond set firmly in place, as per details contained in McCroskey's courtroom statements.
As the legal proceedings against the two continue, their arrests bring a sense of closure to the stores affected and underscore the diligent efforts of law enforcement across state lines. Future court dates for Custard and Carter will determine the next chapter in this multi-year saga of retail theft.
