Two of three suspects charged in connection with the theft of more than $15,000 in cellular phones from a Maricopa Walmart pled not guilty in court Friday.
Monterrius Smith, 20, and Tyrone Jones, 19, entered pleas of not guilty to Judge Lawrence Wharton of the Pinal County Superior Court after each were charged with multiple counts of theft and burglary for a Jan. 5 theft of 18 iPhones from the Walmart store located on Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway.
Both stand accused of allegedly entering the store with an unknown third suspect and executing a coordinated heist.
“The males took turns distracting the clerk as they crawled under the service counter and used a pry bar type tool, to open a locked cabinet containing new iPhones [sic],” MPD spokesman Ricardo Alvarado said in a written statement.
Smith and Jones are also accused of committing similar thefts from a Casa Grande Walmart, court documents show.
Both have been charged with theft, organized retail theft and third-degree burglary.
If convicted, each face presumptive prison sentences of eight and a half years in prison.
This is a developing story. Continue to follow InMaricopa for up-to-date information about this case.
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