COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — Two Miami-based convicted felons were arrested in Collier County following a retail theft at a Naples Costco that led deputies to a vehicle loaded with suspected stolen goods.
On May 1, surveillance footage from the Costco on Naples Boulevard showed two individuals—later identified as Courtney Gerell Bryant, 28, and Nikita Lynn Hicks, 40—concealing eight bottles of high-end tequila, including Don Julio and Silver Patron, worth nearly $550. The suspects fled the store in a silver Chevy Malibu.
Later that day, deputies pulled over a vehicle matching the description on Pine Ridge Road. Hicks, who was behind the wheel, had an active warrant from Polk County, while Bryant was wearing the same outfit seen in the surveillance footage. Both were immediately taken into custody.
A search of their vehicle revealed a large stash of suspected stolen merchandise—liquor, personal hygiene products, and clothing—many items still bearing security tags. Some tags had been wrapped in tin foil, believed to be an attempt to evade store alarms.
Hicks was charged with felony petty theft, a traffic violation, and held on the Polk County warrant. Bryant faces charges of felony petty theft and violation of state probation.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said more charges may be forthcoming, as detectives investigate their potential involvement in additional thefts throughout Southwest Florida.
