A 33-year-old man accused of repeatedly ripping off liquor stores across Oakland Park this summer is now behind bars, but the two men who allegedly helped him pull off the thefts are still out there. Kendrick Wallace was arrested on July 30 and now faces multiple retail theft and petit theft counts tied to a spree that hit several ABC Fine Wine & Spirits locations over the course of June and July.
According to the Miami Herald, the Broward Sheriff’s Office says Wallace and his accomplices simply walked into stores, grabbed bottles of alcohol, and walked back out without paying. A judge set Wallace’s bond at $10,000, and he remains held at BSO’s main jail in Fort Lauderdale. As of the sheriff’s office’s Tuesday update, no information about legal counsel for Wallace was immediately available.
The theft pattern was more extensive than a single bad afternoon. Detectives reported the scheme involved at least eight separate incidents during June and July across multiple ABC Fine Wine & Spirits locations in Oakland Park, according to Boca Post. ABC Fine Wine & Spirits is Florida’s largest privately held alcohol retailer, operating more than 125 stores statewide since it was founded in Orlando in 1936.
Two Suspects Still Wanted
BSO has released security camera footage showing the men stealing alcohol, and detectives are now looking for two men suspected of helping Wallace with the thefts, per the sheriff’s office. Investigators believe the group also robbed other liquor stores throughout Broward County, per Claudinne Caro, though the full scope of that broader activity hasn’t been confirmed…