Sparks Police arrested a man on Wednesday in relation to a theft investigation from August.
In that month, police began getting reports of a suspect targeting department stores in Reno and Sparks, stealing large quantities of similar items.
In their investigation, officers with the SPD Follow Up and Special Enforcement Team identified over a dozen stores that had been victimized with an estimated loss of over $4,000.
In August, police located the suspect, identified as 46-year-old Reno resident Steve Freitas, and tried to pull them over. Police say Freitas sped away from officers, and a pursuit was discontinued.
On Wednesday, October 14, Sparks Police Officers, with the assistance of the Regional Crime Suppression Unit, located Freitas, and he was arrested without incident.
He was charged with organized retail theft, grand larceny, conspiracy to commit grand larceny, petit larceny, felony eluding, battery, obstructing, possession of a controlled substance, failure to appear (misdemeanor crime), and violation of conditions of parole.
Additional victims are encouraged to contact Sparks Police.
