Five Arrested, Most Guns from Cajun Experience Theft Recovered

Five people, including one teenager, were taken into custody this week following an investigation into the theft of seven guns from the Cajun Experience restaurant in Leesburg.

According to a report from the Leesburg Police Department, two men entered the restaurant shortly before 1 a.m. Nov. 23 by pushing open a windowpane and unlocking a rear door. The men then broke into a padlocked closet and took seven gun, including rifles and shotguns worth about $3,300.

Surveillance video helped police identify Schuyler Charles Bertolette, 27, a former employee at the restaurant, as one of the suspect. Police arrested Bertolette, of Leesburg, Dec. 2 in Silver Spring, MD, where he is being held pending extradition to Virginia. He has been charged with burglary and grand larceny.

Police also identified a second suspect as Christopher Milum, 25, of Leesburg, and arrested him Dec. 3. Milum has been charged with burglary, theft of firearms, larceny with intent to sell and conspiracy to commit larceny. He remains in custody at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on a $5,000 bond.

The investigation also led to charges against three other people:

• Peter Jeffrey Carfagno, 21, of Leesburg, was arrested Dec. 3 and charged with burglary, theft of firearms, larceny with the intent to sell and conspiracy to commit larceny. He is being held at the county jail on a $10,000 secured bond.
• Shayne Allen Harlow, 23, of Lucketts, was arrested Dec. 3, 2013 and charged with burglary, theft of firearms, larceny with the intent to sell, and conspiracy to commit larceny. He is being held at the county jail on a $2,000 secured bond.
• A 16 year-old Leesburg male has juvenile petitions pending against him.

Investigators have recovered six of the seven guns and continue to track the last one.

The investigation remains active and the Leesburg Police Department asks that anyone with information about the incident call Detective Chris Vogel at (703) 771-4524. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call the Leesburg Crime Line at (703) 443-TIPS or use TIPSUBMIT from a smart phone or a computer. Links to TIPSUBMIT can be found on the police department’s website at www.leesburgva.gov/police.