Woman arrested at El Paso border in Ulta Beauty cosmetics thefts

El Paso County sheriff’s detectives arrested a woman and continue looking for other suspects in shoplifting thefts of thousands of dollars worth of cosmetics from the Ulta Beauty store at Eastlake Marketplace, officials said.

Detectives arrested Aileen Rodriguez Escareno on Monday, March 31, after she was flagged by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for a warrant while she was driving into the U.S. at the Paso Del Norte Bridge in Downtown El Paso, sheriff’s officials said. She was arrested and her vehicle was impounded.

Rodriguez, 20, and Jesus Alonso Reyes Guevara, 24, are accused of stealing about $1,900 worth of makeup on Feb. 18 from the Ulta Beauty store at Eastlake Marketplace, a sheriff’s news release stated.

Store security cameras recorded the pair and they were seen leaving in white GMC Acadia with Chihuahua license plates.

After their photos were distributed to law enforcement agencies, they were identified by the El Paso Police Department because they are allegedly linked to other thefts in El Paso. Rodriguez is a U.S. citizen and Reyes is a Mexican citizen.

Rodriguez was arrested on charge of theft over $750 under $2,500. On Tuesday, she was released from the El Paso County Jail on a $5,000 surety bond, according to a jail log. Reyes remains at large, sheriff officials said.

El Paso-area serial store thefts suspect wanted, again

In a separate case, sheriff’s detectives are searching for a man who allegedly stole $500 worth of merchandise, including a hair dryer, on March 4 from the same Ulta Beauty store at Eastlake Marketplace, officials said. The shoplifter left in a Chevrolet Silverado with a New Mexico license plate.

The theft suspect was identified as Adan Gutierrez, 42, of Chaparral, New Mexico, by a Texas Department of Public Safety crime analyst using a facial recognition system, sheriff’s officials said.

Last summer, sheriff’s deputies working off-duty security at Cielo Vista Mall arrested Gutierrez after he allegedly stole 14-karat gold earrings worth more than $9,000 from a mall jewelry store in a grab-and-run theft on Aug. 22.

El Paso County Jail records show Gutierrez was released in the Cielo Vista Mall case on a personal recognizance bond requiring no money on Sept. 9. Jail records show Gutierrez was arrested and booked into jail five times last year on theft and probation violation charges.

Anyone with information on Gutierrez and Reyes may call the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office at 915-832-4408.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.

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