Man Pleads Guilty to Breaking Into Same Norfolk ABC Store Twice in Same Night
NORFOLK, Va. — Troyes Nigel Hunt, 52, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to two counts each of burglary and petit larceny after he broke into the same ABC store twice earlier this year.
On the night of June 18, Mr. Hunt broke into the front door of the ABC store at 2301 Colley Avenue, stole multiple bottles of alcohol, and left through the same door. In the early morning hours of June 19 — while the store was still closed and after Norfolk Police had come and gone responding to the first burglary — Mr. Hunt returned to the store, broke through a window, stole more bottles of liquor, and left through the same window. Both burglaries were captured on surveillance video, and Mr. Hunt wore the same clothes during both burglaries.
Later in the day on June 19, a Norfolk Police officer arrested Mr. Hunt for a different shoplifting incident and transported Mr. Hunt to jail. Investigators confirmed through that officer’s body-worn camera footage of Mr. Hunt’s arrest that Mr. Hunt was the same individual seen on ABC store surveillance footage committing the burglaries from earlier. The police charged Mr. Hunt with two felony counts of burglary and two misdemeanor counts of petit larceny.
On Wednesday, Mr. Hunt pleaded guilty as charged and agreed to be sentenced to a maximum active term of three years and seven months in prison (the mid-point of Mr. Hunt’s state sentencing guidelines). Judge David W. Lannetti accepted Mr. Hunt’s plea agreement and set Mr. Hunt’s sentencing hearing on Dec. 6.
“Stealing from ABC stores is this year’s fad crime, just as stealing catalytic converters was in the recent past,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “My office has worked with the Norfolk Police to identify, arrest, prosecute, and confine the small number of individuals who are driving a disproportionate number of these ABC-store crimes. We will continue to be smart on crime by using our resources where they can make the biggest difference.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Anthony J. Comento is prosecuting Mr. Hunt’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Kevin M. Gross led the investigation.
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