CULPEPER COUNTY, Va. β A 42-year-old Virginia man has been arrested and charged in connection with a crime at a 7-Eleven store where he wore a Halloween mask and assaulted an employee while stealing cigarettes, according to investigators.
Scott Matthew Gaffney of Amissville was arrested after investigators identified him as the masked suspect who stole from the 7-Eleven Clevenger's Corner along Lee Highway on Friday, September 19, 2025, at approximately 1:50 a.m.
According to investigators, a black Nissan Rogue pulled up to the front of the store and parked sideways. A man wearing all black clothing and a Halloween mask exited the vehicle and entered the store.
He passed by an employee who was stocking supplies and ran behind the cash registers, where he began removing cigarette packs from the shelves. When the store clerk approached him, the masked man turned around, ran toward her and pushed her before fleeing with the stolen cigarettes, according to investigators.
Deputies responded to the scene and later identified Gaffney as the suspect. He was charged with wearing a mask to conceal identity, assault and petit larceny.
"Sometimes I'm even at a loss for words," Culpeper Sheriff Timothy Chilton said. "This one should be on an episode of World's Worst Criminals!"
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