The UPS (United Parcel Service) is known for delivering the goods. But a former Chantilly employee was sentenced last week to three months in jail for taking them, instead.
HE IS Lovelace Suttles, 34, of 13927 Rockland Village Drive, No. 103, in Chantilly. And before his sentencing Friday in Fairfax County Circuit Court, his attorney pleaded on his behalf for leniency.
"Mr. Suttles is truly remorseful for what happened," said defense attorney Dwight Jones. "He just made a big mistake. Give him an opportunity to continue to make restitution, work and support his daughter and fiancé."
In a Jan. 11 affidavit for a warrant to search Suttles' apartment, Fairfax County Police Det. Richard Call detailed the case against him. Call wrote that, on Jan. 10, a UPS security specialist reported the theft of three, large, flat-screen television sets and three laptop computers from the Chantilly location.
The crime occurred that day in the lobby area where customers pick up packages, and Suttles was working in the lobby at the time of the theft. "Just after 8 a.m., UPS employees witnessed Suttles assisting an unknown male," wrote Call. "[He] didn't wait in line with other customers, and Suttles began to gather packages for [him]."
Call said Suttles' first "suspicious activity" Jan. 10 was coming to work on his day off. Then, wrote the detective, "Suttles bypassed all the UPS security measures when he released six packages to the unknown male." Furthermore, stated Call:
* "Suttles was seen on a UPS surveillance camera picking up packages from four different shipping areas. Customers [normally receive] packages from one area.
* Suttles didn't check the man's identity.
* UPS employees witnessed Suttles giving the packages to the [man] without scanning [them].
* Suttles didn't have the [recipient] sign for the packages.
* UPS employees [stated] they've never seen anyone pick up three, large-screen TVs at one time.
* A UPS employee saw that one of the laptop-computer packages was to be delivered to [someone] in Clifton's Balmoral Estates. It was later identified as one of the stolen packages."
ON JAN. 11, police seized a Philips flat-panel TV with remote from Suttles' home and charged him with one count of grand larceny. A second count was added later.
After pleading guilty to both charges, May 29, he returned for sentencing last Friday, July 27, before Judge Charles Maxfield. Noting the state sentencing guidelines in this case call for one day to six months in jail, Jones asked Maxfield to consider giving Suttles probation or a sentence at the low end of the guidelines.
"He apologizes," said Jones. "He's a good father. Consider putting some time over his head to ensure there are no relapses."
But Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Marc Birnbaum disagreed. "Your Honor, this was not a spur-of-the-moment crime, but a well-planned, well-thought-out one," he said. "[Suttles] used his access to UPS to look around and see what was valuable — and then take it. And he did it more than once — in December 2006 and again in January 2007."
Noting Suttles' "lengthy, criminal record for the past 10 years," Birnbaum recommended he be incarcerated. He said Suttles was convicted of drug possession in 1999 and was arrested for grand larceny in 2000, in addition to "a series of habitual-offender" charges.
The judge said the amount of restitution owed is $19,000 and Suttles proposes paying it off at $300/month. Then Suttles stood and addressed the court.
"The other employees and my manager [at UPS] looked up to me, and I lost their respect and a good job," he said. Suttles also explained that his family is now "suffering financially" because of his actions and he's having a hard time paying his bills.
MAXFIELD ALSO stressed how much Suttles had thrown away. "[UPS] took a chance on you," said the judge. "You had a felony record and they gave you a job."
He then sentenced Suttles to 12 months in jail, suspending nine months, and placed him on five years active probation. Maxfield ran the sentences for each charge concurrently, leaving Suttles with three months total to serve.
"If restitution goes well, I wouldn't object to curtailing probation," added the judge. "And the court will authorize work release for you."