Florida man found with 74 stolen perfume bottles in his clothes after chase, SC cops say
A Florida man was arrested on multiple charges Monday after leading officers on a chase that began at a popular Columbia-area shopping center, according to the Forest Acres Police Department.
Bernard Nobles — a 30-year-old Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, resident — was charged with shoplifting (enhanced) and is also being held on two fugitive from justice warrants, police said in a news release. Nobles was also charged with burglary, jail records show.
At about 2 p.m. Monday, police were called about a man — later identified as Nobles — and woman who were reportedly shoplifting inside a business at the Trenholm Plaza shopping center, police said in the release. Police did not identify the store where the incident began.
Officers saw a man and woman matching the description leave the store, according to the release. When officers approached, Nobles and the woman ran away, police said.
After a foot chase, both were detained, according to the release. Information about how long the chase lasted, or where Nobles and the woman were taken into custody, was not available.
Nobles had 74 bottles of travel-size perfume concealed in his clothing, police said. The stolen items were valued at $2,923.48, according to the release.
Police said they learned that arrest warrants from Myrtle Beach as well as Broward County and Indian River in Florida had been issued for Nobles. There was no word about what charges Nobles is facing from those other municipalities.
The woman was interviewed and released, police said.
Information about why Nobles was in Forest Acres, and any connections to the Columbia area, was not available.
Nobles was being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and was scheduled to have a bond hearing Tuesday afternoon, according to the release.
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This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 9:04 AM.
