Four women suspected of participating in a series of organized retail thefts at 28 businesses across Southern California, totaling more than $50,000, have been taken into custody, authorities announced Wednesday.
Deputies from the La Quinta Business District Team worked collaboratively with loss prevention employees to obtain a vehicle description and identified the four women as suspects connected to the robberies, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
The four women were 23-year-old Jocelyn Robledo of Arizona, 45-year-old Patricia Garcia of Baldwin Park, 27-year-old Raylina Nemeth of Whittier, and 32-year-old Irma Nemeth also from Whittier.
The suspect vehicle was located by deputies on Monday near Cook Street and Country Club Drive in Palm Desert.
Sheriff’s officials said that deputies conducted a traffic stop and all four women were subsequently taken into custody with further incident.
”During the stop, deputies located and recovered approximately $12,000 in merchandise,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The four women were all booked into the John Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of theft, organized retail theft, and petty theft with prior convictions.
The investigation into the case remained ongoing on Wednesday.
Anyone with information regarding the thefts was urged to call the Thermal Sheriff’s Station at 760-863-8990. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867.