2 Florida men accused in theft of more than $26K of merchandise from Ross stores

JACKSON COUNTY -- Two Florida residents arrested in a traffic stop are accused of shoplifting goods from Ross department stores in D'Iberville and Gulfport, Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said. He said they did the same at Ross stores in Texas, Louisiana and Florida.

A sheriff's officer arrested Lauro Mesa, 26, and Alfredo Cruz-Gomez, 27, both of Tampa, Monday after they were stopped on Intestate 10 and a search led to the recovery of electronics and various clothing, purses, shoes, belts and perfumes. The items were valued at $26,442.66 and still had price tags on them.

The two were eastbound on I-10 near the Vancleave exit in a 2007 Mercedes-Benz when the officer stopped the SUV for a tag violation.

Both are held at the Jackson County jail pending a bond hearing.

The investigation is ongoing, with other charges pending.

If convicted of a charge of receiving stolen property, the men could go to prison for up to 10 yeas and face fines of up $10,000.

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 3:51 PM with the headline "2 Florida men accused in theft of more than $26K of merchandise from Ross stores ."