A Cary woman is accused of helping pull off a rolling retail-theft spree that hit Ulta and Lululemon stores across the Triangle and beyond, with losses topping $35,000 in clothing, cosmetics and fragrances between early April and the Fourth of July. Police say social-media posts and store surveillance helped them trace a trail of thefts across several North Carolina towns and tie them to the same pair of suspects.
According to WRAL, Cary police identified the arrested woman as Jhaniyah Tittle and say she and another woman took about $35,717 in merchandise between April 4 and July 4. Cary officers tallied roughly $13,818 in losses at Cary stores alone and cited specific incidents, including a June 11 Ulta theft for $4,089; a June 19 Morrisville Ulta theft for $3,938; a June 27 Raleigh Ulta theft for $4,055; a June 28 Lululemon theft at Fenton for $3,720; a July 2 Morrisville Ulta theft for $1,470; and an $8,170 loss at a Holly Springs Ulta on July 4. Tittle was arrested July 8 and faces charges including felony larceny, misdemeanor child abuse and misdemeanor larceny, and investigators obtained a warrant to search her phone, the outlet reports.
Beauty and athleisure retailers have increasingly found themselves in the crosshairs of organized retail crime, a trend that has store security teams on edge and lawmakers talking tougher penalties. A 2025 study from the National Retail Federation and the Loss Prevention Research Council found shoplifting incidents rose 18% year over year and said organized groups are broadening their tactics and leaning on various resale channels, according to the National Retail Federation.
Police Say Social Posts And Surveillance Linked Suspects
Investigators told reporters they were watching public Facebook stories that allegedly showed one of the women inside an Airbnb on Beckett Chase Way, next to an orange Ulta shopping bag stuffed with products and a distinctive pink steering-wheel cover. Surveillance video reviewed by investigators allegedly showed the women leaving the Fenton Lululemon in a silver Hyundai Sonata with that same pink steering-wheel cover, authorities told WRAL. A warrant describes the second suspect as a pregnant woman who was involved in several larcenies at Ulta stores.
Similar Ulta-centered operations have surfaced elsewhere. In March, prosecutors in Michigan said a woman pleaded guilty to organizing “push-out” thefts at more than a dozen Ulta stores in metro Detroit, a case officials said led to tens of thousands of dollars in losses. Prosecutors and defense attorneys say those kinds of cases show how investigators knit together what might look like small, isolated shoplifting incidents into larger felony prosecutions.
Legal Context
Under North Carolina law, the total value of goods stolen over a 90-day period helps determine the felony class. Losses exceeding $20,000 but not more than $50,000 are typically treated as a Class G felony, with other value ranges carrying different classifications and penalties, according to the state statutes. Felony larceny cases are handled in superior court, and punishments, including prison time, fines and restitution, vary by felony class and the defendant’s prior record.
Tittle remains in custody while prosecutors review the case and investigators continue gathering evidence. Police have asked anyone with information or footage from the affected stores to contact detectives, noting that the case underscores how organized retail theft strains local shops and the loss-prevention teams trying to protect them.
