A string of 171 fraud incidents ended with the arrest of two suspects at Lowe’s at Trailwinds Village in Wildwood.
Andre Antoine Walton, 32, of Novi, Mich. was in a maroon Ford Expedition when he was stopped by an officer Thursday afternoon at the home improvement store, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center had relayed information about a report of a suspicious person.
Kameron James Jackson, 26, of Seattle, Wash. soon came walking out of the store. He claimed he did not know Walton, who had provided a false name to police. Both men were found to be in possession of multiple driver’s licenses with different names issued by different states.
Investigators from Lowe’s corporate fraud department indicated they have been working with a financial institution tracking the pair for three months. There have been nearly 200 incidents of fraud committed across the country by the two men, the report indicated. Numerous items from Lowe’s stores from throughout the state were found in the Ford Expedition, ranging from chainsaws and leaf blowers to beard balm and Old Spice deodorant. The value of the items found in the vehicle totaled nearly $3,000.
Both men were taken into custody on multiple charges of fraud. Due to the severity of the crimes believed to have been committed elsewhere and because the men were considered flight risks, they were booked without bond at the Sumter County Detention Center.