What began as a theft at a beauty store in Goleta ended with a freeway traffic stop and the arrest of three men accused of stealing nearly $2,000 worth of designer fragrances, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were called to the Ulta Beauty in the Camino Real Marketplace around 2:12 p.m. on Friday after receiving reports of suspects running from the store with stolen cologne and perfume. Witnesses said the men fled in a red sedan headed toward Highway 101 southbound.
Sheriff’s deputies quickly located the car and stopped it near the Castillo Street off-ramp, officials said.
As they approached, deputies reported being met with an “overwhelming scent of cologne” coming from inside the vehicle. A search turned up about $1,900 in stolen merchandise, linking the three occupants to the theft, according to the department.
Three men were arrested after deputies recovered nearly $2,000 in stolen merchandise following a freeway traffic stop linked to a retail theft. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office)
The suspects — identified as 33-year-old Rigoberto Aguirre Andrade of Santa Clara, 32-year-old Miguel Tinoco Hernandez of Santa Barbara and 37-year-old Jose Encarnacion Reyes of San Jose — were taken into custody without incident.
All three were booked on suspicion of felony organized retail theft. Andrade is also being held on two out-of-county warrants for theft-related crimes, with bail set at $325,000. Hernandez faces an additional misdemeanor charge of providing false information to an officer, with bail set at $200,000. Reyes was also booked on a misdemeanor charge of providing false information to an officer, as well as three out-of-county theft-related warrants. His bail was set at $310,000, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
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