Four Nevada residents were arrested on Sept. 25 after allegedly going on a shoplifting spree at Ulta Beauty stores across Ventura County.
An employee at the chain's Camarillo Premium Outlets location contacted the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 24 after spotting two known shoplifters inside the store, possibly stealing merchandise, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
The sheriff’s office is contracted to provide police services for the city of Camarillo. They also head the county’s organized retail task force, which tackles organized shoplifting, burglaries and retail thefts across the county.
Deputies arrived at the store, but the two suspected shoplifters had already left, the sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff’s investigators
followed up and found that the two allegedly stole merchandise, including high-end fragrances, sheriff’s officials said. The investigators also found that they were behind multiple thefts across Ulta Beauty stores across the county.
Detectives identified a vehicle the alleged shoplifters used and located it at the Premier Inn in the Newbury Park neighborhood of Thousand Oaks, using automatic license plate reader cameras.
Deputies responded to the hotel on Sept. 25 and contacted a 39-year-old man and 42-year-old woman, both from Las Vegas, as they were driving away from the motel. A 28-year-old Las Vegas man and a 29-year-old Henderson woman were also stopped as they exited their motel room.
Investigators found evidence that they conspired to commit organized retail theft, including almost 100 bottles of cologne and perfume, the sheriff’s office said.
The merchandise, valued at over $16,000, was returned to an Ulta representative.
All four were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit organized retail theft, sheriff’s officials said.
Each was released on $20,000 bond in the following days, jail records show. The younger pair is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on Oct. 9, while the elder pair is scheduled to appear on Oct. 12.
Authorities may add more charges as the investigation continues, sheriff’s officials said.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: 4 arrested for alleged shoplifting spree from Ulta stores in county
