Police have arrested a Cricket Wireless employee after discovering that the car she was driving had been reported stolen. The incident, which began as a routine investigation, unfolded dramatically when officers confronted the woman at her workplace — a Cricket Wireless store — where she appeared shocked as bodycam footage captured the tense exchange.
According to official reports, the investigation began when officers ran the license plate of a suspiciously parked vehicle outside a shopping plaza. The car’s VIN number matched a vehicle that had been reported stolen several weeks earlier in another county. Detectives tracked the driver to the Cricket store, where the employee was found behind the counter assisting customers as if nothing were amiss.
Bodycam footage from the arrest shows officers calmly approaching the woman and asking her to step outside. At first, she appeared confused and nervous, insisting that the car belonged to her boyfriend. “It’s not stolen, I swear,” she told the officers. However, when police asked for documentation proving ownership, the story began to fall apart.
Investigators later confirmed that the car had been reported stolen from a dealership in early March. The dealership’s records indicated that someone had test-driven the vehicle and never returned it. When confronted with this information, the woman allegedly became defensive, claiming she “didn’t know” the vehicle was stolen and that she had been using it for weeks without realizing anything was wrong.
“The registration and plates didn’t match, and the ignition showed clear signs of tampering,” said Sergeant Tony Ramirez of the local police department. “This wasn’t an honest mistake — the evidence showed intent to conceal the vehicle’s origin.”
Police searched the car and found documents linking the employee to multiple unpaid traffic citations, along with a temporary license plate registered under a false name. Authorities believe she may have been part of a larger ring of small-scale car theft operations, although that connection is still under investigation.
Customers inside the store were stunned as the arrest took place. “It was surreal,” said one witness who had come in to pay his phone bill. “One minute she’s helping someone with a SIM card, and the next, police are leading her out in handcuffs.”
The suspect was taken into custody and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, obstruction of justice, and providing false information to law enforcement. Police say additional charges could be added as they review surveillance footage and digital communications.
Cricket Wireless has since issued a statement distancing itself from the incident:
“We are aware of the situation involving one of our store employees. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement and have taken immediate action to suspend the individual pending the outcome of the investigation.”
The woman is currently being held at the county detention center pending a bond hearing. Police have reminded the public to exercise caution when purchasing or using vehicles through third parties and to always verify VIN numbers before completing any transaction.
Authorities say the case remains open as they continue tracing how the stolen car ended up in the suspect’s possession.
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