LAUREL, Del. - Two men from Orlando, Florida have been arrested in Laurel after trying to buy $22,000 worth of car parts with information stolen from six credit cards, according to Delaware State Police.

Troopers say Laurel Police officers were sent to West Side Auto Parts on Sharptown Road just after 10 a.m. Wednesday for a report of someone attempting to buy car parts using several different credit cards.

When the officers arrive, police say the pair escaped in a U-Haul van immediately. They say the officers chased them, with the van finally coming to a stop on Ellis Grove Road. The two people inside, 19-year-old Ernest Ashlet and 30-year-old Sebastien Mombes, were arrested without issue.

Inside the van, police say they found many cell phones, tablets, unused gift cards, and auto parts, along with a credit card scanner and embosser. The investigation revealed that the pair used a collection of stolen information from six credit cards to make the purchase.

According to troopers, 

Ashlet and Mombes were taken to Troop 5 and charged with the following crimes:

  • Possession of a Payment Card Scanning Device (Felony)
  • Possession of Instruments Facilitating Identity Theft (Felony)
  • Organized Retail Crime Over $1,500 (Felony)
  • Possession of Forgery Devices (Felony) – 2 counts
  • Theft Over $1,500 (Felony) – 5 counts
  • Unlawful Use of a Payment Card Over $1,500 (Felony) – 5 counts
  • Conspiracy Second Degree (Felony)
  • Unlawful Use of a Payment Card Under $1,500
  • Theft Under $1,500
  • Receiving Stolen Property Under $1,500 – 2 counts

Police say Ashlet and Mombes were arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2, and were both committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $45,000 cash and $43,000 secured bonds, respectively.