Houston man facing burglary charges from local retirement facility also wanted in multiple states for similar offense

QUINCY — A Houston man was apprehended Tuesday on a charge of residential burglary in Adams County.

The Quincy Police Department said in a press release that it began an investigation in February after reports were made by an unidentified local retirement living facility that an unknown person had entered residents’ apartments to steal credit and debit cards, which were then used at various stores in Quincy.

The Quincy Police Department’s elder service detective used the Flock license plate recognition system to locate a suspect believed to be from the Houston area and the car he was driving at the time of the incident. The months-long investigation ended Tuesday after a traffic stop by the Texas Department of Public Safety, based on information provided by Quincy detectives.

Markinious Hartfield, 43, was taken into custody on an Adams County warrant. He also was wanted out of Indiana, Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Iowa for similar offenses targeting assisted living and retirement communities across the United States. Possible charges are pending in other states based on information QPD turned over to other jurisdictions.

Hartfield is in the custody of the Brazoria County Detention Center in Angleton, Texas awaiting extradition.

This incident doesn’t appear to be the first time Hartfield has been arrested under similar circumstances.

The Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal reported in January that the Acworth Police Department identified Hartfield in connection with thefts of credit cards and debit cards from an assisted living facility in Acworth, Ga. An Acworth Police Department spokesperson said Hartfield has been arrested multiple times for similar incidents in other states.

While it had been originally suspected that staff members with the Acworth assisted living facility were entering rooms to steal credit or debit cards, investigators learned that the suspect, not employed with facility, entered the business wearing scrubs similar to what staff members wear.

The Denver Post reported in September 2009 that nursing home residents in the Denver area were being targeted by a ring of male thieves passing themselves off as female nurses to gain entrance to senior living facilities. Hartfield was arrested as part of an investigation by Denver law enforcement officials.

Between May and September 2009, the thieves struck at least 20 times, with losses from fraudulently used credit cards estimated in the range of $50,000 to $100,000. The cases in Colorado were believed to be connected to a national crime ring which carried out similar thefts in Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, Kansas and Alabama.

The Denver Post story said Hartfield also was convicted of similar crimes in Louisiana in 2006.