Wanted Romanian nationals arrested for stealing smoke detectors in St. Louis County

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – Chesterfield Police say they’ve arrested two men for stealing thousands of dollars worth of smoke detectors from multiple Lowe’s home improvement stores in St. Louis County.

Police say both men are Romanian nationals here in the country illegally, and both are wanted for crimes in other states.

Chesterfield Police arrested Crisian Vasile and Florin Stefan Monday at the Lowe’s in Fenton after they were seen stealing more than $3,000 worth of smoke detectors at the company’s Chesterfield location.

The two allegedly also stole merchandise from the Lowe’s in Ballwin. Court documents reveal the two are accused of stealing 63 smoke detectors that day alone.

In all, police recovered more than $8,000 in stolen merchandise.

Both men are wanted for crimes in California. Vasile is also wanted for stealing a car in Idaho.

The two were arrested and are being held on a $50,000 bond.

Sgt. Robert Powell with the Chesterfield Police Department provided FOX 2 with the following statement:

“These investigations that center around undocumented criminals who travel from state to state can be challenging for law enforcement. In part, due to the fact that they’re unknown in the area and they have no known local ties. That’s why our SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT UNIT (S.E.U.) aggressively investigates all reports of theft by utilizing all available resources at their disposal. This case highlights the commitment we continue to honor as a law enforcement agency to our community.”

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