Serial Cosmetics Thief Unable to Conceal Evidence and is Arrested
EASTVALE- An Ontario woman was arrested after being caught stealing from several cosmetics stores.
Employees at a beauty supply store in the Eastvale Gateway Shopping Center reported to authorities that on Wednesday, August 26, a woman entered their store and deposited a large quantity of their cosmetics in a store shopping bag. The suspect attempted to sneak her bag of goods out of the store without paying, but employees spotted her. The store employees also noticed additional cosmetics in her purse. When they confronted the suspected thief, the woman dropped her store bag, but bolted with the her purse and the stolen goods cached inside. It was later reported that the same suspect stole a large quantity of cosmetics from another store within the same shopping center not long after this incident.
Deputies from the Eastvale Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team responded to the reports and began an investigation. They were able to identified the suspect, Sara Pope, 27 years old of Ontario, California as the likely perpetrator. As the investigation continued, deputies were able to locate Pope in the city of Ontario and arrested her.
According to a press release from the Riverside Sheriff’s Department, Pope was in possession of a large quantity of stolen cosmetics from the stores in the Eastvale Gateway Shopping Center at the time of her arrest. Pope was also reported to have a small amount of heroin and several hypodermic needles in her possession. She was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for burglary, possession of heroin, and committing a felony while out on bail.
It was also reported that a follow up investigation revealed additional stolen cosmetics at Pope’s residence. Anyone with any information related to this incident is encouraged to call Deputy S. Hernandez at (951) 955-2600.
