Florida ‘predator' given probation for pepper-spraying rich men and stealing luxury watches off their wrists
Esther Torres, 20, avoided jail time and was sentenced to five years' probation on Wednesday following two incidents where she isolated the men and sprayed them, robbing one of an expensive Hugo Boss watch, and another of a luxurious $22,000 Rolex watch in late March, Law & Crime reported.
The first incident took place at the Breakwater Hotel in Miami Beach, with the 20-year-old thief pepper-spraying the victim, then taking his Hugo Boss watch off his wrist.
3 Esther Torres pleaded guilty to luring rich men to hotels, pepper-spraying them, and robbing them of their luxury watches.
Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center
She also then robbed him of more than $200 in cash and Euros, and made off with several of his credit cards.
During the second incident, Torres pepper-sprayed another man at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, snatching a $22,000 Rolex Submariner from the victim.
The victim told police that the mace attack left him temporarily blind.
Surveillance footage also captured Torres leaving both hotels after macing and stealing the watches, according to Law & Crime.
'We have a predator, and she's preying on male victims,' the owner of the Sherbrooke Hotel — located minutes away from the Breakwater Hotel — Mitch Novick, told WSVN.
Novick said he also handed over surveillance footage from his hotel to help police ID the Torres.
3 The Breakwater Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.
Fotoluminate LLC – stock.adobe.com
Police got hot on Torres' trail in April when she arrived at the scene of another person's traffic stop after the man driving had been arrested.
She was later identified as the suspect of the two robberies by her driver's license, which she provided to police at the scene.
Torres was finally brought to justice in May and was arrested by police during a traffic stop.
Cops confirmed her identity based on an image from a 'need to identify' flyer issued by law enforcement.
3 The Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach.
Monteleone – stock.adobe.com
Police released body-worn camera footage of Torres' arrest, which shows her dressed in a strapless white top and hair bonnet, being asked by police if she has any weapons on her, according to Law & Crime.
'You have no weapons on you, none of that stuff, right?' an officer asked in the clip.
'No, no,' Torres replied.
Police said Torres had a child in her car when she was taken in. The child in the vehicle was picked up before she was taken to jail.
She was initially charged with two counts of robbery in the first degree and was ordered to be detained without bond, Law & Crime reported.
Torres was granted a recognizance bond in June and is no longer in the jail system following her sentencing to probation.
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