7
WILMINGTON, Del. – Delaware State Police have arrested Garrett Hitchens, a 34-year-old Wilmington resident, on charges of theft and theft-related crimes following a series of shoplifting incidents over seven months in the Price Corner area, according to authorities.
Hitchens is accused of stealing merchandise from several local businesses, including Acme, Bath & Body Works, Target and Walgreens, between April 25 and Oct. 25, 2024. In total, the thefts totaled more than $5,600 in merchandise, police said. Each incident reportedly involved a similar pattern, with a white male suspect taking household items and fleeing without payment.
One of the shoplifting incidents escalated into a robbery on August 17 at the Acme on Centerville Road, where Hitchens allegedly threatened an employee and said he would kill them while escaping with stolen goods. This threat led investigators to reclassify the incident as a robbery, increasing the severity of the charges against him.
After identifying Hitchens as the suspect through investigation, troopers obtained warrants for his arrest and attempted to locate him. On October 28, at approximately 7:32 p.m., a trooper on patrol in the Price Corner area recognized Hitchens as he left the Acme supermarket. The officer was familiar with Hitchens from previous cases, approached him in the parking lot and took him into custody without incident.
Following his arrest, Hitchens was transported to a local hospital for an unrelated medical condition, which was described as non-life-threatening. After being medically cleared, he was charged by the Justice of the Peace 11 with multiple charges, including theft and 21 charges related to shoplifting.
Hitchens was subsequently committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, where he is being held on a $15,002 bond.