CRESTWOOD, Mo. – Two suspects accused of stealing from the Crestwood Sam’s Club and shoving a manager to the ground were later stopped in Omaha, Nebraska.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged Andrei Fota and Catherine Vaduva with one felony count of stealing each amid the investigation. Fota also faces a fourth-degree assault charge.
Criminal charges stem from a theft on July 14 at the Sam’s Club location at 10248 Big Bend Road.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Fota and Vaduva attempted to leave the store with several bags of unpurchased allergy medicine before a manger confronted them and asked them to return the merchandise. Moments later, Fota pushed the manager to the ground.
Fota and Vaduva then ran out of the store and took off with unknown amounts of allergy medicine, per court documents. Surveillance cameras captured video as both drove away from the scene.
The surveillance footage helped local police investigate the matter and send information on the suspects to other law enforcement agencies. At some point, a flock camera revealed that Fota and Vaduva were heading west toward Kansas City. Later on, police spotted the suspect vehicle in Omaha, Nebraska.
According to court documents, authorities in Nebraska identified Fota and Vaduva from the surveillance video. Both were allegedly wearing the same clothes they wore during the theft at Sam’s Club.
Court documents state that Fota is from Romania and Vaduva is from France. It’s unclear if they have any other ties to the St. Louis area or Nebraska.
The manager who was pushed suffered a sprained wrist and a bruised elbow, according to court documents.
