Stafford, VA. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a breaking and entering that occurred at a local business on Garrisonville Road in the early morning hours on Saturday. An unknown suspect stole nearly 12,000 scratch-off lottery tickets and 170 cartons of cigarettes.

On July 6, 2019, at approximately 4:35 a.m., Deputy Whitt responded to a business alarm at the Fas-Mart convenience store located at 624 Garrisonville Road. Upon arrival, the deputy observed a shattered window on the building. She then requested that additional units respond to the scene.

When additional units arrived, they observed an open door. A K9 unit arrived and performed a security sweep of the building. Units also canvassed the area surrounding the business, but the suspect was not located.

The Sheriff’s Office was later contacted by the owner of the store who had conducted an inventory to determine what had been stolen. The owner reported nearly 12,000 scratch-off lottery tickets with values varying between $10.00 and $30.00 had been taken during the theft, leading to a loss of between $120,000 and $360,000. The suspect also stole an estimated 170 cartons of cigarettes.

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office immediately at (540) 658-4400.