Mebane teen charged in 22 Tanger Outlets vehicle break-ins

Shoppers at Tanger Outlets Mebane are facing a case that exposed just how quickly a busy parking lot can turn into a crime scene: Mebane police say 18-year-old Lester Mayo Jr. was tied to 22 vehicle break-ins at the outlet center, and items were stolen from cars, including a gun.

Police said officers were called to multiple breaking-and-entering reports at the shopping center on March 28. Investigators later linked Mayo, who WXII reported is from Durham, to the spree. The charge list is wide-ranging: 22 counts of breaking and entering to a motor vehicle, 24 counts of felony conspiracy, four counts of misdemeanor larceny, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and larceny of a firearm.

Earlier reporting on the case said the break-ins happened around 7:30 p.m. after a stolen car entered the rear employee parking area at Tanger Outlets Mebane. That vehicle had been reported stolen to NCIC about an hour before the break-ins, highlighting how fast the crime unfolded and how much damage can be done in a short window at a large retail property.

By June 2, Mayo had been taken into custody by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office. He was being held without bond and had a court date of June 5. Another account said the charges were filed June 1. Mebane police said the investigation remained ongoing and that details could change as more information was gathered.

Tanger Outlets management said its security team had been cooperating with police throughout the investigation. The case puts a spotlight on how much protection shoppers and workers expect at one of Alamance County’s best-known retail destinations, especially in large parking areas that pull vehicles from multiple counties and can complicate enforcement.

The Mebane case also fits a broader Triangle pattern. ABC11 reported Mayo was served with 38 warrants totaling 110 felony charges and 52 misdemeanor charges in a wider vehicle-break-in investigation. Durham County Sheriff’s Office officials have said investigators believed many of the break-ins were tied to a single group of individuals, that crime of this type had climbed sharply in 2026 around Research Triangle Park, and that more arrests and juvenile petitions were expected.