Indictment: Quartet of Shoplifters Stole Thousands in Electronics

A Barnegat resident and three men from Toms River were indicted last Thursday on shoplifting charges after police said they stole items from Target and Walmart in Stafford.

Raphael J. Lewis of Barnegat was charged with three counts of shoplifting, according to an indictment handed up by an Ocean County grand jury. Alleged accomplices Matthew Chadwick and Kevin Capote were charged with two counts of shoplifting, while Kevin M. Schulz of Toms River was indicted on three counts.

Police said Chadwick and Capote initially took electronics worth more than $500 from the Target in Stafford on Sept. 14. The next day, Lewis and Schulz returned and again stole more than $500 in electronics, the indictment states.

Lewis, Schulz, Chadwick and Capote combined to steal more than $500 in electronics from Walmart in Stafford on Sept. 20, the indictment states. Lewis and Schulz then went back to Target on Oct. 3, stealing electronics worth at least $200, authorities said.

Lewis is free on $2,500 bail; Schulz on $6,000 bail; and Capote on $5,000 bail. Chadwick was released on a summons.

Grand juries also indicted: 

• Christopher L. Wells of Bayville on two counts of theft and two counts of theft by deception charges.

Police claim Wells stole a purse from a Stafford woman on Nov. 25, then removed a Barclays card and used it to engage in "numerous fraudulent transactions."

He stole another purse from a different Stafford woman on Dec. 13 and used a Bank of America card found within to complete numerous transactions, the indictment states.

He was released on a summons.

• Jennifer J. Demyan of Manahawkin on a receiving stolen property degree. Demyan was arrested May 19 in Little Egg Harbor and accused of receiving stolen jewelry worth more than $500. She was released on a summons.