By Benjamin Wermund - The Blotter, Statesman.com
Four adults who police say used children to help steal thousands of
dollars’ worth of merchandise from several Central Texas stores have
been charged with organized retail theft and child endangerment,
according to arrest affidavits.
Noe Puente, 25, Diana Puente, 23, Nereyda Perez, 26, and Valentin
Perez III, 24, were arrested at the Round Rock Premium Outlets on
Friday, records show. Police say the two couples stole more than $6,700
worth of merchandise from the Round Rock stores as well as the San
Marcos Premium Outlets and Sea World in San Antonio, the records say.
According to arrest records, the couples would take their children
into retail stores and put stolen merchandise into the children’s
backpacks. In all four children — one belonging to Noe and Diane Puente
and three belonging to Nereyda and Valentin Perez — were involved,
arrest records said. The children ranged in age from 2 to 11 years,
arrest records said.
On Friday, an employee at the Burberry outlet store in Round Rock
reviewed security tapes and saw three adults and one child enter the
store at different times, pretending to not know one another, arrest
records said. One adult distracted employees while the others began
taking merchandise, according to arrest records. At one point, an adult
is seen putting a purse in the child’s backpack and adjusting the
backpack to ensure the purse did not draw attention, arrest records
said.
After reviewing the tape, the employee saw two of the adults re-enter
the store and called Round Rock police, arrest records said. Officers
found them in the store, and other officials found the other two adults
in Kenneth Cole, arrest records said.
All four were taken to the Williamson Count Jail, where Valentin
Perez III remains with a bail set at $45,000, records show. Nereyda
Perez was released Saturday and Noe and Diana Puente were released
Sunday, jail records show.
The children were taken in by the county’s victim’s assistance
program until they could find relatives to live with, records show.
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