EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a string of retail thefts at an East El Paso Ulta Beauty store, with one suspect in custody and two others identified.
Deputies responded to a theft at the Ulta store on Gateway West on February 18, where two suspects fled with $1,900 worth of makeup in a white GMC Acadia with Chihuahua, Mexico license plates.
Using surveillance footage and assistance from other law enforcement agencies, detectives identified the suspects as Aileen Rodriguez Escareno, 20, a U.S. citizen, and Jesus Alonso Reyes Guevara, 24, a Mexican national. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed the pair entered the U.S. together just 40 minutes before the theft.
Rodriguez Escareno was arrested March 31 at the Paso Del Norte port of entry by CBP agents and booked into the El Paso County Downtown Jail. The vehicle was also impounded. Reyes Guevara is still at large.
In a separate incident on March 4, a male suspect stole $500 worth of items, including a hair dryer, from the same Ulta store and fled in a Chevrolet Silverado with New Mexico plates.
A Texas DPS crime analyst used facial recognition to identify the suspect as Adan Gutierrez, 42, who was previously arrested for stealing from a jewelry store in Cielo Vista Mall in 2024. Gutierrez is now wanted on shoplifting charges, with a bond set at $15,000.
Authorities say all three suspects may be linked to additional retail thefts across El Paso. The Sheriff’s Office continues its investigation and urges businesses to remain alert.
