ST. GEORGE — Two women were arrested after being detained by store employees for suspected retail theft. Responding officers then found $2,500 in stolen merchandise in the vehicle the pair was traveling in, police say.
Officers responded to a possible retail theft reported at a department store on East Red Cliffs Drive on April 22 in St. George.
Upon arrival, officers learned from several witnesses that two women entered the store and were seen placing merchandise in their purses before exiting the store, as alleged in the probable cause statements filed in support of the arrests.
Prior to police arriving, the pair was confronted by staff who suspected the women may have more stolen merchandise and asked the suspects if they could check their shopping bags. The women “refused to show the employees what else was in their bags,” the officer noted in the report.
Both suspects were detained by store employees until officers arrived on scene. They were identified as 31-year-old Francia Flores-Cornejo, of Mesquite, Nevada, and Daniela Andrea Cartes, 35, of St. George.
The items reportedly taken from the department store were valued at more than $190.
During a search of the suspects’ purses, officers recovered another $770 in stolen clothing, authorities allege. As the investigation progressed, officers suspected the women were “involved in the theft crime rings that have been coming to our area.”
Detectives were then called in to assist. During a search of Cartes incident to the arrest, officers located a set of vehicle keys in the suspect’s pocket, which called into question the women’s earlier accounts that both had taken a shuttle from Mesquite to St. George.
Officers then located the suspect’s vehicle in the parking lot near the department store they were reportedly taking merchandise from.
From the window, officer could see a large pile of clothing and other items on the backseat, all of which still had the store tags attached to items that came from several retailers throughout St. George. During a search of the vehicle, officers did not find any store receipts.
Investigators went to each of the stores and learned that none of the merchandise had been scanned during a sale or paid for. Officers noted the merchandise had a combined value of more than $2,500.
The suspects were arrested and booked into jail in Washington County, each facing second-degree felony pattern of criminal activity and third-degree felony theft. Bail has been set at $5,000 for each suspect.
Cartes was formally charged with the offenses and was scheduled to make an initial appearance in 5th District Court on Friday. The case against Cornejo is still being reviewed for charges by the Washington County Attorney’s Office.
This is the second report involving international crime groups that have struck the area within the past week. The first involved the arrest of two suspects that were in the area from Long Beach, California.
The suspects were identified in the previous report as 30-year-old Kevin Perez-Santibanez and Luis Mourgues-Garrido, 46, both of whom are now facing additional charges after the pair was linked to a vehicle burglary reported in the Santa Clara-Ivins area in March.
In that case, Santibanez and Garrido were suspected of breaking into the vehicle and removing financial cards that were then used at a local big-box retailer to purchase nearly $1,700 in gift cards, charging documents state.
With the suspects already in custody in Washington County on a previous case, each now faces two additional felony charges of unlawful acquisition and use of a financial card, as well as one misdemeanor count of vehicle burglary.
The statements made to police and the evidence recovered from the vehicle led investigators to believe that both suspects were working in concert as part of an international crime group that has been doing snatch-and-grabs and other crimes throughout the community.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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