Police say 2nd shoplifting trip is what got ‘em

Police say the same couple had been shoplifting the same store three days before.

A pair of shoplifters walked out of the Target store in Charleston with so much stuff Thursday that they came back for more Sunday, police said.

But this time they got caught, according to the Staten Island Advance. And just for good measure, police charged them with carrying along a massive amount of drugs for the trip.

Police say Leah Valenti, 19, of Rossville, and David Chan, 36, of Brooklyn, were the couple who appeared on videotape last week walking out of the Target outlet on Veterans Road West with a shopping cart full of clothing, accessories and beer.

When they came back Sunday, store security personnel captured Valenti in the store, and found Chan outside, allegedly with unpaid items in a shopping cart.

After the couple was brought to the police station for processing, police said that’s when officers found two plastic bags of drugs in the backseat of the police car – 186 pills of an antidepressant called alprazolam. Police said they also found 77 oxycodone pills in 15 small plastic bags stuffed in Valenti’s bra.

Valenti told police she has a prescription for the oxycodone. So at least that’s covered.

About Barry Lank

Barry Lank is a former TV and radio writer, and, like most people, was editor of the Courier-Post opinion page in Cherry Hill, at some point. If you look up, you'll realize he's watching you read this. | View all posts by Barry Lank