WRAL Investigates

Shoplifting 26 times at 14 different stores and stealing $11K in merchandise: Suspected Wake County serial shoplifter gets arrested

Michael Quarles, 40, faces 38 charges after a two-month crime spree.

Posted Updated

By
Joe Fisher
, WRAL reporter

After four police chases and a foot pursuit, a serial shoplifter accused of targeting 14 stores throughout Wake County is now behind bars.

Michael Quarles, 40, faces 38 charges after a two-month crime spree.

Court documents show Quarles shoplifted 26 times from 14 stores in Cary, Garner, Knightdale and Raleigh between April 20 and June 21. Quarles is accused of stealing more than $11,000 in merchandise.

On June 24, North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers arrested Quarles after a chase through downtown Raleigh that ended on S. Saunders Street near Interstate 40. The North Carolina Highway Patrol said ​Quarles ran from the scene and attempted grab a trooper's gun during the arrest. A spokesperson said the trooper, who suffered minor injuries, deployed his taser to get the suspect into custody.

Authorities said Quarles used the alias Michael Leon Edwards, so law enforcement knew him by two different names. Quarles is also accused of stealing a car in late April in Johnston County and using at least two different cars and temporary paper tags to avoid detection.

Quarles shoplifted from the ACE Hardware store at 802 Semart Dr. in Raleigh three times in May.

“This guy was a menace,” said ACE Hardware General Manager Greg Cox.

Surveillance pictures show Quarles taking power tools off the wall inside the store. ACE Hardware in Raleigh.

“He would change his hat and change his appearance,” Cox said. “He would be in and out so quick it was hard to even notice he was there until he was already on the way out.”

Timeline of events

Court documents show the timeline of the items Quarles is accused of stealing, their value and the location of where the crime took place:

April 20: Target, Knightdale, 40-inch TV, clothes, $342
April 23: Target, Knightdale, 40-inch TV, $460
May 3: Sheetz, Garner, Beer, $27
May 5: Home Depot, Garner, Tools, $817

Ace Hardware, Cary, Circular saw and drills, $300

May 18: Ace Hardware, Raleigh, Weed whacker/hedge trimmer, $790
May 20: Best Buy, Cary

Ace Hardware, Raleigh, Tools, $250

May 28: BJ's Warehouse, Garner, TV and sound system, $560

Kohl’s, Garner, Clothes/shoes/perfume, $342

May 31: Harbor Freight, Cary

Home Depot, Garner, Window A/C unit & tools, $920

Ace Hardware, Raleigh, Electric saw, $420

June 4: Harbor Freight, Cary
June 6: Home Depot, Garner
June 10: Sheetz, Cary, Beer

Home Depot, Garner, Tools

June 12: Harbor Freight, Garner, Generator, $630
June 14: Harbor Freight, Garner, $630

Sam’s Club, Raleigh, (two) 43-inch TVs, $600

June 15: Home Depot, Garner, Drill & A/C unit, $650

Quarles got into a chase with Garner police: Flee/Elude Arrest

June 17: Harbor Freight, Garner, Generator, $500

RESCO Mart (two locations), Garner, Cigarettes/lotto tickets, $130

June 19: Best Buy, Cary, Computer, $2,300
June 20: Cary PD shoplifting, $54

Best Buy, Garner

June 21: Target, Raleigh, (three) 40-inch TVs, $900

Garner police said they first tried stopping Quarles on June 15, but he sped away. On June 17, he did not stop when an agent with Wake County ABC Law Enforcement attempted to pull him over for outstanding warrants. On June 23, Garner police said they clocked him going 100 miles per hour and driving the wrong-way on Highway 70, near Vandora Springs Road. The next day, June 24, is when the Highway Patrol arrested him south of downtown Raleigh.

Suspected shoplifter arrested

Cox said it’s a relief to know authorities caught and arrested Quarles.

“He wasn’t going for the small stuff,” Cox said. “He was going for the big bucks.”

Quarles has a criminal history that shows theft cases dating back to 2006. He was released in October 2021 after serving a one-year, five-month sentence tied to a string of felony and misdemeanor larceny cases in 2020. In 2009, he served five months in jail after racking up 12 charges for breaking into cars and stealing a credit card.

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