After a coordinated effort between the Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD) and the Lebanon Police Department (LPD), a suspected retail theft ring has been effectively disrupted. The recent crackdown resulted in the arrest of four individuals, and a warrant was issued for another, as reported by the City of Murfreesboro's official website. Laura Natalia Alvarado-Martinez, Rogelio Arpero-Murillo, Oscar Balderas, and Edson Odin Ponce-Cotero, ranging in ages from 32 to 48, were taken into custody on Wednesday, June 11.
Detectives from MPD and LPD claim that the group is behind a series of retail thefts that included stealing significant quantities of clothing and employing a tool designed to counter security protocols at stores such as the Burlington Coat Factory and TJMaxx. Allegedly apprehended by Lebanon police on Wednesday, a warrant for 21-year-old Caleb Abraham Ponce-Cotero is also at large, suspected of partaking in criminal activities.
The authorities have slapped each of the suspects with various theft-related charges. While Alvarado-Martinez and Arpero-Murillo are each facing two counts of felony theft, their accomplices, Balderas and Edson Ponce-Cotero, are charged with one count each. Additional charges are pending concerning another theft at Burlington on June 9, demonstrating the breadth of the ongoing investigations. MPD utilized crime data analysts from their Real Time Crime Center to link the suspects with the crimes, receiving an LPR alert on two vehicles in Lebanon, thought to be involved in the thefts.
Anyone with any information regarding the whereabouts of the fifth suspect, Caleb Abraham Ponce-Cotero, is being asked to step forward. Detective Gorham has been assigned to handle any leads and can be contacted at 629-201-5507, as highlighted by the City of Murfreesboro's news release. Meanwhile, the four apprehended individuals have been remanded at Rutherford County Adult Detention Center, facing bonds ranging from $17,000 to $23,000. As they await their respective hearings scheduled for July 14 in General Sessions Court, a curtain has momentarily fallen on this episode of retail theft in Murfreesboro.
