Nearly $15K recovered in merchandise after ‘coordinated' King Soopers theft

Yahoo

6 hours ago

DENVER (KDVR) — Four suspects are in custody after deputies busted a 'coordinated retail theft' at King Soopers in Highlands Ranch and Centennial.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office said on June 18, around 3:30 p.m., a caller reported a shoplifting at the King Soopers in Centennial, then, minutes later, another theft was underway at the King Soopers in Highlands Ranch.
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The suspects were reportedly under surveillance by Kroger for their involvement in prior fraud, and the sheriff's office said they were allegedly seen taking 'excessive amounts of makeup' and 'awkwardly holding their skirts and dresses' as they walked out.
Then, the suspects were followed to the King Soopers in Highlands Ranch, where they allegedly tried to steal more, and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said deputies detained the driver of a minivan in the parking lot, identified as 37-year-old Gabi Maria Lautaru.
Law enforcement said they believe Lautaru acted as a lookout and allegedly alerted the other suspects in the store, who then left the stolen merchandise at the store before law enforcement was able to contact them.
All four suspects, two women and two girls, were ultimately taken into custody. The sheriff's office said these suspects were connected to a felony-level theft that just occurred at a separate Centennial grocery store.
Douglas County deputies were able to recover $9,600 worth of merchandise from the Highlands Ranch grocery store, while the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office said it recovered two trash bags with approximately $5,000 in stolen makeup from the King Soopers in Centennial.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office Division Chief of Professional Standards Jason Kennedy said that the agency has increased its networking with local retailers, and said it's helped with prosecuting cases in the county.
'We got the call, and when we got the call, we were able to go there and detain the suspects. Then we found, I think after a concise search of the vehicle, we found $5,000 worth of cosmetics in the van and there was another $9,000 to $10,000 worth of cosmetics dumped in the store spread throughout the aisle. It was pretty amazing,' Kennedy told FOX31's Alliyah Sims.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office called it a 'coordinated retail theft.'
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'It was very bold by the way, incredibly bold to do something like that. Then we got in touch with Arapahoe County, and they came over and they were able to take their evidence as well. That's that networking partnership that we have with the other metro law enforcement agencies,' Kennedy said. 'We believe they were, yes, all in one day. When you take a 55-gallon trash bag into a grocery store and stuff it full of cosmetics and then leave that is as bold as it gets. Frankly, we won't put up with it here in Douglas County.'
The two adults were taken to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Jail, while the two juveniles were sent to the Foote Youth Services Center. The sheriff's offices said the suspects are facing charges of theft, conspiracy, concealment and the driver is also facing a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Kennedy said that retail thefts in Douglas County are common, but not like in the rest of the metro.
'This is not stealing a candy bar. This is a whole different situation. When you're going in with the intent to steal $10,000 worth of cosmetics inside the store … and then you have a lookout outside and then you have three people inside. That is an organized retail theft. That's what we're combating here,' Kennedy said.
Kennedy said that stores are concerned for their employees' and patrons' safety.
'If you see something like this, please let us know. We want to provide a safe community and that's why we are standing up to this. We believe that we want to hold that line for a safe community and it starts with things like these,' Kennedy told Sims.
This investigation remains ongoing.
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