Four held in suspected identity theft at Petaluma Kohl’s

Four people were arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of using a fraudulently obtained credit card to buy merchandise at Kohl’s in Petaluma. Police believe they may be part of an extensive enterprise that involves identity theft victims across the country.

According to a news release Wednesday by the Petaluma Police Department, four suspects walked into the Kohl’s on North McDowell Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon and opened a store credit card account.

The suspects bought “a large quantity of merchandise” with the new card and left the store, police said. However, the suspects returned to the store after putting their other items in their car and tried to buy more with the same credit card. It was declined at the register. Police said store employees called the police department.

The suspects fled and were arrested a block away from the store, police said. It was during a search of their belongings that police said they discovered “personal identifying information of several victims throughout the nation,” the statement said.

Detectives are notifying victims their personal information may have been compromised.

James Costello, 64, of Richmond; Jerraud Ford, 38, of Oakland; Ramell Dudley, 33, of Richmond; and Marcella Roles, 45, of Sacramento were arrested on suspicion of felony conspiracy and burglary and misdemeanor fraud and identity theft. They are being held on $1 million bail each at the Sonoma County Jail.

An arraignment hearing for the suspects is scheduled for Thursday in Sonoma Superior Court, according to the jail records.

You can reach Staff Writer Elizabeth M. Cosin at 521-5276 or elizabeth.cosin@pressdemocrat.com.