4 arrested in connection with Lee County Walmart theft spree

LEE COUNTY, Fla. —

Lee County deputies arrested four people in connection with a Walmart theft spree.

According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the Walmart on Pine Island Road on Dec. 22 for a reported theft that had previously occurred. Deputies said one of the suspects, identified as Dontavius Powell, showed a cashier a fake receipt to steal a generator and two Kitchen-Aid mixers before leaving the store in a U-Haul van.

On the following day, LCSO deputies responded to the same Walmart and discovered the U-Haul van was in the parking lot while Powell was inside the store.

Deputies then spoke with the driver of the U-Haul, Marcus Hammett, and the passenger, Domonique Golden, just as Powell and a fourth suspect, identified as Erwin Staco, were leaving the store with more unpaid merchandise.

According to the sheriff's office, Powell and Staco tried to flee from deputies as they attempted to arrest them.

LCSO said that during the investigation, deputies learned that Golden and Powell were also involved in a theft at the Walmart in Estero. According to LCSO, they stole multiple generators from the Estero Walmart earlier in the evening.

Deputies arrested the four individuals. Powell is facing charges for two counts of grand theft and one count of petit theft. Staco is facing one count of petit theft and one count of resisting without violence.

Golden is facing a charge of grand theft as a result of the separate investigation.

As for Hammett, he was on active felony probation for a retail theft out of Miami and is now facing charges for violating probation.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.