The Plano Burglary Unit was recently probing a string of incidents targeting Ulta stores, with a systematic pattern of break-ins.
A retail crime investigations manager at Ulta shared crucial details about around 15 burglaries linked to a single group while working with law enforcement agencies across the Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin areas, leading to several arrests.
On Feb. 13, 2024, around 3:30 a.m., the criminal group targeted an Ulta outlet on Preston Road in Dallas, resulting in nearly $18,000 worth of merchandise being stolen, primarily high-end colognes and perfumes. According to Plano police, several attempts were made to notify the Dallas Police Department of these leads, but were unsuccessful.
The investigations manager reached out to a Plano police sergeant, alerting them to the crime, as Plano was previously hit by similar Ulta burglaries. Plano detectives initiated surveillance at the site and coordinated with Dallas officers.
The response came from key personnel of the Dallas North Central CRT/Deployment, South Central CRT/Deployment and the North Central Investigative Unit. The CRT/Deployment teams secured the area, while the North Central Investigative Unit analyzed the gathered intelligence and secured a search warrant. Two members of the criminal group were then arrested.
“Without the investigations manager’s determination to catch these criminals, the burglaries would have continued,” the Plano police sergeant involved said in a statement. “The critical information that he provided to law enforcement for several months built the foundation of this case. The Dallas Police Department’s teamwork, expert communication and response to help end this series of crimes was outstanding. The Plano Burglary Unit was proud to assist.“
