On Wednesday, June 18th, at approximately 3 PM, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office day and swing shift deputies responded to a report of a theft in progress at a grocery store located in the 8600 block of South Quebec Street in Highlands Ranch.
The incident involved four female suspects (two adults and two juveniles) connected to a felony-level theft that had just occurred at a separate grocery store in Centennial. Upon arrival, deputies quickly detained the driver of a minivan in the parking lot and located three additional female suspects inside the Highlands Ranch store.
Investigators believe the driver, identified as 37-year-old Gabi Maria Lautaru, acted as a lookout and alerted the other suspects inside the store, prompting them to abandon the stolen merchandise prior to law enforcement contact. Thanks to the quick and efficient work by day shift and swing shift deputies, all four suspects were safely taken into custody. Deputies recovered $9,600 worth of merchandise from the Highlands Ranch location.
A search of the suspect vehicle was conducted, and approximately $5,000 in additional stolen merchandise was recovered, believed to be from the earlier theft in Centennial.
The two adults were taken into custody and booked into the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Jail. The two juveniles were taken into custody and transported to the Foote Youth Services Center. They are facing charges of theft and conspiracy. The driver is also facing a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The suspects’ addresses are currently unknown.
“Thanks to the vigilance of our local retailers and their willingness to report suspicious activity, we were able to identify and arrest this group responsible for stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise. We recently asked our business community to speak up, and this case proves that Douglas County will respond! These arrests are the direct result of that partnership.”— Sheriff Darren Weekly
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene to collect evidence related to the earlier incident.
This investigation remains ongoing. Charges are merely accusations, and all defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
