Going to the well one too many times, a suspected shoplifter who hit the same Bayside drug store twice this month was caught during his third visit to the location on Thursday morning, police said.
At about 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 23, officers from the 111th Precinct responded to a 911 call from employees at the CVS pharmacy located at 215-16 73rd Ave., in the Oakland Gardens section of Bayside.
According to law enforcement sources, store employees contacted police after spotting Bronx resident Jose Hernandez, 43, entering the establishment. They recognized him from two previous shoplifting incidents at the location.
On its Twitter page, the 111th Precinct noted that the suspect allegedly stole “some expensive cosmetics” from the CVS pharmacy.
Police sources said Hernandez visited the location at 7:40 p.m. on Aug. 9 and removed more than $1,500 in cosmetic products, then returned to the store at 9 a.m. on Aug. 16 and stole another $2,000 in assorted cosmetics.
Responding plainclothes officers located Hernandez on Aug. 23 shortly after arriving at the scene. They took him into custody after finding him in possession of an unidentified controlled substance, police sources said.
Upon further investigation, police linked Hernandez to a similar shoplifting incident that occurred on July 12 at a CVS in the confines of the Flushing-based 109th Precinct.
Hernandez faces charges of grand larceny, criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of drug paraphernalia.
Captain John Hall, commander of the 111th Precinct, took to Twitter on Aug. 23 to announce the arrest:
Disregard.@NYPD111Pct plainclothes team arrested him today. He was also arrested for 3 prior larcenies here and the @NYPD109Pct https://t.co/iUFF47ifsF
— NYPD 111th Precinct (@NYPD111Pct) August 23, 2018
