Lady Lake police are investigating a case in which two women and two men stole more than $800 worth of fragrances at ULTA Beauty.
Two women with large black purses entered the store shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday. Store personnel thought the women were acting suspiciously and kept an eye on them. Then two men entered the store.
A clerk saw one of the men select two items and walk around the store carrying them. The clerk asked the man if he needed assistance and he picked up his cell phone and said, “Honey are you ready for dinner?” as if he was speaking to someone. He then walked out of the store without purchasing any items. The clerk then approached the second man who also had items in his hands. She asked him if he needed assistance and he also picked up his cell phone and said, “Honey are you ready for dinner?” as if he was speaking to someone. Then he, like the other man, walked out of the store without purchasing any items. The two women then walked out the door.
The clerk went and checked the store’s surveillance video and saw the women selecting items and moving them to random areas in and out of view of the store’s security cameras. She could see the men concealing the items. On the video, she also saw one of the women putting items in her bag.
The clerk called the Lady Lake Police Department and the Ocala ULTA Beauty store to warn personnel that the four suspects might be headed their way. An Ocala ULTA Beauty manager confirmed that four suspects matching the description were in the store. The suspects left the store before Ocala police arrived.
In all, $832 worth of fragrances was stolen from the Lady Lake store. The clerk told police that the alarm system in the store didn’t go off because the women’s bags likely had some type of devices that blocked the alarm detection system.