Lee County, FL – Four people are in custody this week after deputies say they uncovered a coordinated retail theft operation targeting Walmart stores in Lee County, including locations in Cape Coral and Estero.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were first alerted Monday, December 22, to a past-occurring theft at the Walmart on Pine Island Road. Investigators learned a suspect, later identified as Dontavius Powell, allegedly showed a cashier a fake receipt to steal a generator and two KitchenAid mixers before leaving the store in a U-Haul truck.
Deputies continued investigating and returned to the same Walmart on Tuesday, December 23, after reports of suspicious activity. The U-Haul used in the earlier theft was found parked in the lot while Powell was inside the store. Deputies made contact with the driver, Marcus Hammett, and passenger Domonique Golden.
At the same time, Powell and a fourth suspect, Erwin Staco, were allegedly attempting to leave the store with additional unpaid merchandise. When deputies attempted to arrest them, both suspects allegedly fled before being taken into custody following lawful commands and enforcement tactics.
Investigators later connected Powell and Golden to a separate Walmart theft in Estero, where deputies say multiple generators were stolen earlier that evening. Due to that investigation, Golden was charged with Grand Theft.
At the conclusion of both cases, deputies established probable cause to arrest Powell on two counts of Grand Theft and one count of Petit Theft. Staco was charged with Petit Theft and Resisting Without Violence.
Authorities say Hammett, who was on active felony probation for retail theft out of Miami, was arrested for Violation of Probation.
The investigation remains ongoing.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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