Two unidentified people walked out of a Sanford Marshalls with more than $150 worth of stolen clothing last month, and now the city's police department wants the public's help putting names to their faces. The theft happened on July 17 at the store located at 1551 W.P. Ball Blvd, and investigators say they still don't know who the two suspects are.
Sanford Police shared surveillance-style photos of the pair on Facebook Wednesday, asking anyone who recognizes them to come forward, according to a Sanford Police Department Facebook post. The department, which has served the city since 1877, did not release additional details about the suspects' descriptions or how they left the store, but it made clear the request for information about the persons' identities is active and ongoing.
The Marshalls sits inside The Marketplace at Seminole Towne Center, a major retail hub in northwest Sanford that draws national chains and diners alike, according to Zillow. It's not the first time that particular store has ended up at the center of a public appeal for tips. In November 2024, Sanford Police put out a similar call after someone left the same Marshalls with stolen clothing concealed in a bag, and back in September 2015, a relative recognized a shoplifting suspect from published surveillance photos taken at that very location, according to WKMG, which led directly to an arrest.
A Familiar Playbook for Local Police
Crowdsourcing suspect identities through social media has become a go-to tool for Sanford investigators. The department has used relatable, shareable formatting — including hashtags like #FitCheckGoneWrong and #CanYouIdentify — on past Facebook posts to maximize how far surveillance images travel online. Just weeks ago, Hoodline reported that Sanford police used the same approach after an Ulta Beauty theft, when someone made off with more than $500 in fragrance testers from a local store.
Anyone with information about the Marshalls case can also reach out anonymously through Central Florida Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS, a regional nonprofit tip program that partners with Sanford Police and other area agencies. Tipsters who provide information leading to a felony arrest can remain eligible for cash rewards of up to $1,000, according to the City of Oviedo.
What Suspects Could Be Facing
Under Florida Statute §812.014, stealing property valued between $100 and $749 is classified as first-degree petit theft, a first-degree misdemeanor that carries up to a year in county jail and fines as high as $1,000, per the Law Office of Michael Mirer, P.A. The $150 value tied to the Marshalls theft falls squarely within that threshold. Florida law also imposes an automatic administrative driver's license suspension for theft convictions — six months for a first offense and a year for a second — regardless of whether a vehicle was involved, according to the Rossen Law Firm.
State lawmakers have also given prosecutors more room to pursue harsher charges against repeat offenders. Under House Bill 549, enacted in April 2024, Florida extended the window for aggregating multiple retail thefts from 30 to 120 days, meaning prosecutors can combine separate thefts into a single felony grand theft charge if the total value exceeds $750, according to WKMG. It's a legislative shift aimed squarely at repeat shoplifters and organized retail theft rings operating across Central Florida.
Sanford Police, which maintains 130 sworn officers and 17 civilian employees across its investigative, traffic and crime-prevention units, has not indicated whether the Marshalls case is connected to any prior incidents at the store. For now, the two people photographed leaving with the stolen clothing remain unidentified, and investigators are counting on the public to help close that gap the way they have in past cases at the same shopping center.
