Couple suspected in North Bay high-end booze theft spree

A Sacramento couple was jailed Sunday on suspicion of stealing as many as 85 bottles of high-end alcohol from four North Bay grocery stores, according to Sonoma police.

Sonoma sheriff’s deputies Sunday evening found 70 bottles in their car trunk, many with electronic sensors still attached, Sonoma Police Chief Bret Sackett said.

A backpack held another 15 bottles worth $1,300.

The 85 stolen bottles were worth about $6,000. According to store security employees, the bottles were taken from Safeway stores in Windsor, Petaluma, Novato and Sonoma, Sackett said.

Sackett credited the employees of a Novato Safeway for setting the arrests in motion. The employees Sunday evening spotted an apparent theft of alcohol at that store and followed the suspects as they drove from Novato to a Safeway in Sonoma.

The employees watched as the man went into the store and put several bottles of booze inside a backpack and then left without paying, Sackett said.

A woman waited in the car and when the man returned they drove off, followed by the security employees who called deputies at 6:30 p.m.

Deputies stopped the suspected thieves on Napa Road, east of town. The backpack was found on the passenger floorboard and a strong smell of alcohol permeated the car as one bottle had broken and spilled.

Matthew Robert Moore, 28, and Frankie Nicholls, 24, were arrested on suspicion of burglary, possessing stolen property and conspiracy to commit a crime. Bail for each was $10,000.

Moore also was in violation of probation regulations and wasn’t eligible for bail, according to jail records. Nicholls was released from jail late Monday afternoon after posting bail.