Surge of Thefts Prompts Multiple Arrests

South Windsor police spent much of early May responding to or filing charges in a cluster of theft cases tied to the Target store at 125 Buckland Hills Drive, according to arrest-log entries and separate police reports. Patch reports published May 11 and May 15 show arrests or charges on May 6, May 8, May 11, May 14 and May 15, with several cases tied to older theft investigations and others stemming from in-store calls for shoplifting in progress. Police said one May 8 arrest involved a “known shoplifter” and led to drug charges after officers found methamphetamine and paraphernalia during a search. The reports describe a week in which the same retail location repeatedly drew officers for larceny-related cases. ### Which Target store was at the center of the arrests? The store named in the police reports is the Target at 125 Buckland Hills Drive in South Windsor. Police and Patch identified that address in the May 8 arrest report and in earlier April cases involving alleged shoplifting at the same location. May 15 arrest-log entries summarized by Patch said South Windsor police had made several arrests in connection with thefts at Target over roughly a week. (patch.com) Those entries included a May 15 charge against a 30-year-old Stratford man tied to a December theft of $514.93 in merchandise, a May 14 warrant arrest of a 34-year-old Falmouth, Massachusetts, woman tied to a March theft of $245.88, and May 14 charges against a 41-year-old Manchester man in three separate December 2025 thefts. (patch.com) ### What happened in the May 8 “known shoplifter” case? South Windsor police said officers were called to Target at 6:13 p.m. on May 8 for a reported shoplifting in progress involving a “known shoplifter” who was actively concealing items in the store. Officers located and arrested a 36-year-old Southington man, according to the police account published by Patch. (patch.com) Police said a search incident to arrest turned up methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. The man was charged with criminal attempt at larceny in the sixth degree, possession of a controlled substance, first offense, and use of drug paraphernalia, and was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond, Patch reported. ### How many of the cases involved older theft investigations? (patch.com) May 11 and May 14 entries in the arrest summary show several defendants were arrested on active warrants tied to thefts from December 2025 rather than same-day incidents. Patch reported that a 36-year-old East Hartford man was arrested May 11 on two active warrants related to two December incidents in which police said he assisted another person in a theft at Target. A 31-year-old East Hartford woman was arrested the same day on two active warrants related to December incidents in which police said she stole merchandise from the store. (patch.com) The May 14 and May 15 cases also reached back months. Police said the Falmouth woman’s charge stemmed from a March theft, while the Stratford man and Manchester man were tied to December cases. Patch said one of the defendants was already in state custody on charges from other jurisdictions when the Target-related warrant was served. ### Were there other recent theft arrests at the same store? (patch.com) Patch reported additional Target-related arrests in April, before the May cluster. On April 24, police said officers responded to a report of a repeat shoplifter, identified as 29-year-old Sergio Lira of Hartford, inside the store trying to steal items. Police said Lira ran from officers, was caught after a brief foot chase, and was found with suspected fentanyl and paraphernalia; officers said he had taken about $1,130 in items and also had three active warrants. (patch.com) An April 25 case involved Christopher J. Peters, 30, of East Windsor. Patch reported that Peters was accused of stealing $149.54 in merchandise from the same Target hours after he had been released in connection with a separate shoplifting case at Stop & Shop. Police said Peters had already been trespassed from the Target store and charged him with two counts of sixth-degree larceny and one count of first-degree criminal trespass. (patch.com) ### What do the police records show about the scale of the thefts? The dollar amounts in the published reports ranged from attempted thefts to losses of more than $1,100. Patch cited alleged totals of $245.88, $491.71, $514.93, and about $1,130 across separate cases, along with smaller April incidents involving $285, $268.93 and $149.54 in merchandise. Those figures came from police accounts and arrest-log summaries, which Patch said reflect charges filed and are not indications of guilt. (patch.com) ### What happens next in the cases? Manchester Superior Court is the venue listed for several of the appearances in the published reports. Patch said the 36-year-old Southington man arrested May 8 was scheduled to appear there on May 27, 2026, at 9 a.m., while other defendants in April and May cases were also assigned dates in the same court. (patch.com) (patch.com)