Peachtree City’s Bowtie Bandit Caught in St. Louis After Multi-State lululemon Heists

A suspect memorable for allegedly burglarizing Peachtree City’s lululemon in a bow tie, suspenders, and patent leather shoes has been identified as Tarbis Ward, a St. Louis man now in custody after investigators connected him to burglaries in Georgia and Missouri.

Ward is being held in St. Louis on burglary and criminal damage to property charges stemming from a Missouri case. Peachtree City police have also obtained warrants charging him with second-degree burglary and criminal damage to property, according to Peachtree City Police Lt. Brad Milstein, commander of the department’s Criminal Investigations Division.

The Peachtree City case began before sunrise July 25.

According to an Aug. 5 Peachtree City Police Department Facebook post, two suspects allegedly stole a license plate in McDonough at about 5:02 a.m. and attached it to a 2020 or newer gunmetal gray Nissan Altima with tinted windows.

At about 6:22 a.m., the pair allegedly broke into the lululemon in Peachtree City and escaped with approximately $17,000 in merchandise.

One suspect wore Adidas jogging pants, gray sneakers, and a black hoodie. The second stood out considerably more.

Police described him as tall and slender, with braids extending well past his waist, wearing an orange-and-white Von Dutch ball cap, a dress shirt with a bow tie, white suspenders, dress pants, and patent leather dress shoes.

The department joked at the time that anyone who knew who thought “formal wear” was the perfect outfit for a burglary should give police a call.

That distinctive suspect has now been identified by investigators as Ward.

A break in St. Louis

The Peachtree City burglary was not an isolated case.

“Following the July 25 burglary of the Peachtree City lululemon and the August 9 burglary of the Gwinnett County lululemon in Peachtree Corners, investigators from both jurisdictions began working together to identify potential suspects based on information and similarities between the cases,” Milstein said in an email interview with The Citizen.

A major break came hundreds of miles away over Labor Day weekend.

“A major break came over Labor Day weekend, when an Ulta and a lululemon in the St. Louis area were burglarized,” Milstein said. “A surveillance camera captured a clear image of the offenders before they put on their masks.”

Using law-enforcement investigative technology, St. Louis investigators identified one of the suspects as Ward, Milstein said. Ward closely matched the tall, long-haired man seen during the Peachtree City burglary.

Investigators also determined Ward had previously served time in federal prison.

“We can confirm that Ward has a prior criminal history, including a previous federal prison sentence,” Milstein said. “We are not providing additional details about his prior record at this time.”

Peachtree City police noted in its Monday Facebook update that Federal Bureau of Prisons records listed Ward as no longer in federal custody as of Feb. 13, 2026.

Investigators tie Ward to Georgia

Peachtree City detectives then worked with investigators in other jurisdictions to compare evidence.

“Using cellular and other location-based investigative technologies, detectives were able to place Ward at the Peachtree City and Peachtree Corners locations at the approximate times of the burglaries,” Milstein said.

There was no single national database that simply produced Ward’s name, he said.

“Rather, this appears to have been the result of investigators in different jurisdictions sharing information and using multiple law-enforcement investigative resources and technologies,” Milstein said.

Police say Ward was traveling from St. Louis to Georgia to commit the burglaries and then returning home.

“What made this investigation particularly challenging was that Ward was traveling from St. Louis to Georgia to commit the burglaries and then returning home,” Milstein said. “Investigators determined that he traveled from St. Louis to Peachtree City to commit the July burglary and then returned to the area the following month to commit the Peachtree Corners burglary.”

Peachtree City police described it on Facebook as nearly 12 hours of driving.

“Sir… there are Lululemons closer to Missouri,” the department joked in announcing Ward’s identification.

Investigation continues

Ward remains in custody in St. Louis, and a hold has been placed on him in connection with Peachtree City’s warrants, Milstein said.

The investigation is not finished. Police said they are continuing to work to identify everyone involved, including the other suspect seen during the Peachtree City burglary.

“The investigation required coordination between multiple jurisdictions, careful comparison of information from separate burglary investigations, and the use of multiple investigative technologies,” Milstein said.

Then he offered a description of his detectives that may be nearly as memorable as Ward’s alleged burglary attire.

“We have an exceptional group of officers and detectives at the Peachtree City Police Department,” Milstein said. “The members of our Criminal Investigations Division are incredibly dedicated and persistent. I often describe some of them as ‘obnoxiously tenacious,’ which is a wonderful quality to possess when seeking justice for members of our community.