Fairfield (NJ) The Fairfield Police Department announces the arrest of Charles Thompson (55) of Prospect Park, N.J. for shoplifting on October 30, 2019. On that date, at approximately 3:40 P.M., Officer Frank Patierno was on patrol in the parking lot of the Target store located on Route 46 East when he observed a 2007 Lexus allegedly with an equipment violation. He then conducted a motor vehicle stop of the vehicle on Route 46 East and found Thompson to be the lone driver of the vehicle.
A check of Thompson’s driver’s license revealed it to allegedly be suspended. In addition, it also allegedly indicated that he had active warrants for his arrest, totaling approximately $8000.00 out of several jurisdictions to include Paterson, Hackensack, Clifton and Paramus. At this point, he was placed under arrest. It is alleged that the officer then observed, in plain view, a large amount of household goods and clothing items. The officer’s suspicions were heightened when he observed that all of the clothing items were still on hangers and that none of the items were in shopping bags.
At this point the officer contacted the Target store and spoke with asset protection officers who eventually confirmed, through video surveillance, that Thompson had allegedly filled a shopping cart with merchandise and eventually walked out of the store without paying for any of it and then loaded it into the rear seat of the car that the officer stopped. Investigation revealed that the amount of items that were recovered totaled $851.00. Thompson was eventually charged with shoplifting and transported to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, N.J. pending a bail hearing.
(It should be noted that the charge against Thompson is merely an allegation and that he is presumed innocent until he either pleads guilty or is found guilty in a court of law)
Authorized by: Chief Anthony Manna
