Press Release Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office
June 26, 2024 – Port Charlotte, FL
A pair of females, living in the country illegally, were arrested in Port Charlotte and have been determined to be part of an organized retail theft ring.
Shortly after 3:00pm on Tuesday, June 25, deputies received a call from an employee of the Burlington Store, located at 19400 Cochran Blvd. in Port Charlotte. The caller advised that there were two Hispanic females in the act of committing theft. The females loaded just over $400 worth of stolen merchandise into a 2024 Hyundai Tucson in the parking lot, which had California license plates. At that time, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Road Patrol deputies arrived on scene and detained the women.
Inside the vehicle, deputies observed large amounts of clothing with tags from Marshall’s and Ross clothing stores in plain view. The females were identified as Carla Stephany Soto Araneda (11/29/1990) and Genesi Michael Flores Reyes (10/27/1991). The suspects were in possession of tools used to remove anti-theft devices from retail merchandise. Both females were transported to the CCSO District 2 Office to be interviewed, where they each provided full confessions.
The suspects’ vehicle was secured and towed to the CCSO Impound Lot where a search warrant was later executed. The search resulted in a total stolen merchandise value of $6,255.95, broken down as $2,703.86 from Marshall’s, $3,134.32 from Ross, and $417.77 from Burlington.
Through investigative means, detectives determined that the suspects traveled to Florida from California and had been all over the state, to include Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, and Miami. Further investigation revealed that they are living in the country illegally. Both are being held at the Charlotte County and Border Patrol has been contacted.