Siblings accused of shoplifting nearly $20K worth of items
Allegedly involved in 14 separate incidents in California, Arizona
Yuma police arrested a man and a woman for allegedly shoplifting more than $7,000 worth of merchandise, including jewelry, at a local Walmart.
However, according to police, Walmart investigators estimate that the suspects have been involved in 14 separate incidents in California and Arizona, with an estimated loss of $19,767 during these shoplift incidents.
On Tuesday, July 9, at 11:47 a.m., an officer responded to Walmart, located at 2501 S. Avenue B, in reference to a delayed shoplift report. A Walmart employee told police that a male and female, who were identified as siblings, were seen on video taking the items.
After the employee contacted the other local Walmart stores to share the information, the female suspect was identified as Elizabeth Valdez, 22, of San Bernardino, California. She had an active warrant in Yuma from a previous incident earlier this year in which the suspects reportedly shoplifted from two local Walmart stores and attempted to shoplift from a third.
Police said they were seen on video leaving in a Ford Expedition with a California license plate.
A BOLO (Be On the Lookout) was sent out to local law enforcement agencies and in less than 30 minutes, the vehicle was located by the San Luis Police Department in San Luis, Arizona. Elizabeth Valdez and her brother, Francisco Valdez, 27, identified as the male suspect, were taken into custody by San Luis police. Both were arrested and booked on numerous felony charges.
On Tuesday, a search warrant was drafted for the hotel room that Elizabeth and Francisco Valdez were staying in and their vehicle. During the execution of the search warrant, Yuma detectives successfully recovered most of the stolen property, which police called “a significant win for our investigation.”
Elizabeth and Francisco Valdez traveled from San Bernardino, California, with the intent to shoplift, according to a YPD press release. Police noted that the current trend is for individuals to travel from California and Nevada to Arizona to commit retail thefts. These stolen items are then sold for profit, police said.
Police noted that the arrest of these two suspects was possible “because of the close working relationships built within the retail and law enforcement communities, demonstrating the power of unity in combating crime.”
The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to call the Yuma Police Department at 928-373-4700 or 78-CRIME at 928-782-7463 to remain anonymous.