Hamlet Police say they've identified both people suspected in a larceny at the Piggly Wiggly on West Hamlet Avenue, just days after asking the public for help finding them. The update came Monday, days after officers first put out a call for tips following the theft, which happened last Thursday.
The department originally asked for the public's assistance identifying a subject last seen leaving the scene in a white four-door sedan, according to a post from the Hamlet Police Department on Facebook. By Monday, the department followed up with another Facebook post confirming that both subjects involved in the incident had been identified, a rapid turnaround that suggests the public tip line and social media outreach did their job. The Piggly Wiggly involved sits at 105 W. Hamlet Ave., according to Piggly Wiggly, right along Hamlet's main commercial corridor.
A Pattern Along West Hamlet Avenue
This isn't the only commercial theft investigators have chased down on that stretch of road recently. Just a week before the Piggly Wiggly incident, Hamlet Police put out a similar appeal after a larceny at the Family Dollar located at 810 W. Hamlet Ave., which happened on August 21. In that case, suspects were reported fleeing the scene in a burgundy Honda CR-V, a detail Hoodline covered in its earlier report on the Family Dollar theft case. Two commercial larcenies within nine days on the same retail strip is enough to raise eyebrows, even if the cases themselves remain separate.
Anyone with information on the Piggly Wiggly case can still reach Hamlet Police directly by phone at 910-582-2551, or submit anonymous tips through www.p3tips.com. That platform routes tips through third-party encrypted servers that strip out IP addresses and phone numbers before the raw text reaches local law enforcement, according to Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers, which notes that Richmond County agencies rely on the same P3 Tips system for public tip collection.
How North Carolina Law Treats Retail Theft
Whatever charges the two identified subjects ultimately face will hinge on the value of what was allegedly taken. Under North Carolina General Statutes § 14-72, larceny involving property valued at $1,000 or less is charged as a Class 1 misdemeanor, while theft exceeding that amount becomes a Class H felony, according to the North Carolina General Assembly. A Class 1 misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of 120 days in jail under that same statute.
This isn't the first time this particular Piggly Wiggly has dealt with shoplifting cases that made local headlines. Court records referenced by the Laurinburg Exchange show two women were charged in November 2018 for stealing turkey from the store, and a man was arrested in December 2017 for taking steaks — both cases in which surveillance footage and Facebook posts helped identify suspects, much like the process that just played out again.
A Small Department Leaning on the Public
Hamlet Police operate out of headquarters at 201 W. Main St. with a force of roughly 19 sworn officers, a relatively small footprint for handling the town's ongoing property crime cases. The department is led by Chief James Carsto, who was appointed by the city manager in November 2025 after serving as interim chief following the termination of former chief Dennis Brown that July, according to WSOC TV. Carsto had previously served as the department's Investigations Lieutenant starting in October 2023.
Hamlet's population sits at roughly 5,961 residents, with a median household income of $41,590 and a poverty rate of 21.6%, according to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts — figures that sit well below the North Carolina statewide median income of $72,388. Richmond County as a whole records an overall crime rate of about 48.31 incidents per 1,000 residents in a typical year, with property crimes making up a significant share of that total, per CrimeGrade.org data, a pattern that also shows up in nearby communities like Rockingham. For a department this size operating in a community facing those economic headwinds, quick identifications like this one depend heavily on residents willing to share what they see online.
