Bystander Trips Up Sneaker Thieves

A conscientious bystander, who wrote down the license plate number of a getaway car used in a burglary, aided in the arrest of two Camarillo men who allegedly stole three pairs of tennis shoes from a department store, authorities said Wednesday.

Dermarcus Rowe, 20, and William Hart, 19, were arrested Tuesday night after police used the license plate number to track the pair to their apartment on Mobile Avenue.

Rowe was booked into jail on suspicion of commercial burglary and petty theft, and Hart was booked on suspicion of commercial burglary. Both were being held in lieu of $10,000 bail and were scheduled to be arraigned today.

A third man, Laquintine Holt, 23, was arrested at the same apartment on an unrelated parole violation, but was released when authorities dropped the charge.

Rowe and Hart are accused of stealing the shoes about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday from a Ross department store at 225 Ventura Blvd. in Camarillo.

A store security guard was alerted when the stolen footwear triggered a door alarm, said Sgt. Bruce A. Macedo of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department in Camarillo.

The security guard chased one suspect who fled on foot but was unable to catch him, Macedo said. The bystander, whom police did not identify, watched the second suspect flee in a car.

The Camarillo Special Enforcement Detail assisted in the arrest, which also led to the recovery of the stolen shoes at the suspects’ apartment.