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Jaquel Newsome was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 18, after a quick-thinking cop noticed a suspicious car in the parking lot and trusted his instincts to check it out, the Auburn Police Department said.
The officer drove through the Auburn Mall parking lot around 4 p.m. and noticed a car parked in the fire lane in the wrong direction with a license plate belonging to another vehicle. They turned around to take another look, as this is a common tactic for shoplifters preparing to make a mad dash, authorities said.
Just then, a man bolted out of the mall, jumped into the car, and turned onto Swanson Road, where the officer pulled them over. Newsome was behind the wheel wearing a necklace and bracelet combo worth $22,499 with the sales tags still on them, police said.
The officer arrested Newsome, and as they inspected the car, they learned it was stolen, authorities said. Police said they later linked Newsome to other jewelry store thefts around New England.
Officials charged Newsome with theft over $1200, receiving a stolen motor vehicle, and a license plate violation, police said. A judge ordered him held on a $1,040 bail.
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