The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged a man and woman who reportedly are in the U.S. illegally and who allegedly stole more than $1,700 in merchandise from the Home Depot store, 3865 Vogel Road, in Arnold.
Princess Rostas, 22, with an address listed in Jamaica, N.Y., has been charged with stealing and resisting arrest, and Sandu Novacovici, 22, who has a listed address in Silver Spring, Md., was charged with stealing, court records show. Each of the stealing charges is a class D felony punishable by four to 10 years in prison, and the resisting arrest charge is a class E felony that carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
As of Sept. 8, Rostas and Novacovici were being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro.
Arnold Police were called at about 2:40 p.m. Aug. 31 to Home Depot about a suspected theft in progress, and a store employee and a police officer stopped Rostas and Novacovici as they allegedly left the store with electrical breakers and two Red Bull drinks they had not paid for. The stolen items were worth $1,762.38, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
Novacovici surrendered and was arrested outside the store, but Rostas walked away from the officer. A second officer stopped Rostas in the parking lot and a struggle ensued, according to the report.
Rostas allegedly punched the officer in the face, leaving the officer with a bruised lip. Rostas was arrested after the physical confrontation, and she allegedly admitted to stealing the breakers, the report said.
She also allegedly admitted to stealing from other Home Depot stores throughout the eastern U.S., according to the report.
Novacovici already was wanted on a warrant for felony theft in Florida, and the Secret Service is investigating him in connection with numerous thefts involving skimming devices, the probable-cause statement said.