LA PLATA, Md. – On September 23, 2024, at approximately 3:23 p.m., LPPD officers responded to the 300 block of Rosewick Road, for the report of a theft.
Upon the arrival of officers, the Loss Prevention Manager relayed a suspicious individual backed a SUV during the overnight hours to a flatbed trailer and hooked it to his vehicle. The individual also successfully loaded two Toro Zero Turn Radius mowers onto the trailer before fleeing the area.
Armed with some video footage and a few other investigative leads, investigators were able to develop and later confirm the identity of the suspect. Christopher Ralph Sims, 35-years of age, of Sumter, South Carolina.
The suspect was charged with felony theft, as the value of the trailer and mowers is approximately $10,600. Theft from US retailers has been deemed a national crisis, with a loss of over $121 billion in 2023.