A Las Vegas woman has been arrested on suspicion of stealing upwards of $60,000 in beauty products from Ulta stores in California, Nevada and Arizona, including at least one store in Irvine, authorities said.
The 31-year-old woman was taken into custody on Wednesday, Feb. 4, after Irvine police detectives found her at an apartment in Corona, police said in a statement.
She was accused of stealing more than $2,000 in merchandise from an Ulta store in Irvine on Jamboree Road in January, police said.
After viewing video and photos from the store, a loss-prevention officer recognized the woman from a bulletin that had circulated after a theft in Arizona, said Officer Ziggy Azarcon, an Irvine police spokesman. Detectives shared photos and video with authorities in Arizona and Nevada and learned she had allegedly burglarized stores in those states.
It was not immediately known how many stores the woman was suspected of burglarizing, or if Villanueva’s string of thefts included other Southern California Ulta stores. Irvine police were only investigating the one burglary, Azarcon said.
In the Irvine case, the woman allegedly stole primarily skincare and fragrance products, Azarcon said.
