TAYLORSVILLE, Utah, Dec. 12, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A multi-agency operation targeting retail thefts at stores in the Taylorsville area has led to the arrests of two California women suspected of stealing and engaging in fraudulent activity across several states.
Darrian Deajurrey Williams, 29, of San Leandro, Calif., and Aubrianna Thompkins, 27, of Tracy, Calif., recently were arrested in Carson City, Nev., on multiple counts of alleged grand larceny, commercial burglary, conspiracy to obtain money using stolen credit cards and other offenses, according to Taylorsville Police officials. They also match the description of two suspects wanted out of Rock Springs, Wyo., for wallet theft.
The two were likely out on bail from Nevada before they were arrested last week in Taylorsville on suspicion of retail theft and drug possession, and Williams’ 2016 Mercedes-Benz with temporary tags was impounded, the Taylorsville statement says.
“They indicated to Taylorsville officers that they were returning to California from Iowa. The women’s alleged MO involves distracting victims while shopping and stealing their wallets, to then quickly commit fraud by using the victims’ credit cards. The two attempted to steal victims’ wallets several times in Taylorsville, but were unsuccessful.”
Their arrests are the result of a coordinated operation that was conducted over two days, on Dec. 7 and 8, in conjunction with the Utah Attorney General’s Office CASE unit (Crimes Against Statewide Economy).
“Taylorsville Property Crimes Detective Steve Jensen, who is assigned to the Attorney General’s Office, coordinated the operation, also teaming up with officers from Sandy, West Jordan and the United States Department of Homeland Security, as well as store personnel and security from Target, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Sierra and Home Depot. Additionally, Amazon and eBay provided analysts in support,” the news release says.
The operation, involving two, four-hour shifts each day, resulted in 10 arrests for theft-related crimes, drug offenses and outstanding warrants. With the assistance of Homeland Security, one person wanted for an aggravated re-entry was booked on a federal detainer. During one arrest following a retail theft, a suspect who was on parole fled officers on foot, but he was stopped without incident a short distance away.
In addition to the Mercedes-Benz, one other car was impounded during the operation. In total, more than $1,000 in merchandise was recovered and returned to the stores.
“One of the goals of the operation was to develop information on where the stolen property goes after the theft and how, and what the thieves do with the property,” Jensen said in the released statement. “Information was gathered by detectives who will be conducting follow-up in hopes of developing more information on other criminals and organized groups.”
