19YO Accused Of Shoplifting In 3 States Arrested In Southeast: Sheriff

SOUTHEAST, NY — A 19-year-old woman accused of shoplifting in Pennsylvania and New Jersey was arrested after a similar incident in Southeast, Putnam County Sheriff Kevin J. McConville reported.

On Dec. 29, deputies from the Narcotics Enforcement Unit observed a vehicle linked to an organized group of retail thieves parked outside a business in Southeast.

Shortly after, they observed a man and woman leave the store with merchandise and enter the vehicle. Deputies made contact with the duo, and the woman provided forged identification documents and provided them with a fictitious name.

She was later identified as Ana Codreanu, 19, of Baltimore, Maryland. The man was determined to be a juvenile relative of Codreanu.

After deputies watched surveillance footage, Codreanu was charged with five felonies including grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, criminal possession of a forged instrument and conspiracy; plus endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.

The Putnam Sheriff's office alleged about $8,000 worth of merchandise had been taken from the store.

Further investigation revealed that Codreanu had three active warrants in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for similar crimes and had stolen items from other area businesses earlier in the day, McConville said.

The juvenile was turned over to a relative.

Codreanu was arraigned in the Town of Kent Justice Court and released on her own recognizance for the charges from the Town of Southeast. She was ordered held without bail as a fugitive from justice while she awaited extradition for her out-of-state warrants.