A 29-year-old Antioch woman with outstanding warrants was arrested with a carload of allegedly stolen merchandise in Sonoma, and her alibi that she was just some innocent 12-year-old girl did not fool the deputy sheriffs.
A routine traffic stop in Sonoma County last Thursday quickly turned more serious, at which point the suspects provided an explanation that was plainly more stupid. As the Sonoma Sheriff Facebook page explains, sheriff’s deputies noticed a car driving with a headlight out just before 10:30 pm on the night of Thursday December 20 at Highway 37 and Arnold Drive. Upon further inspection, the deputies noticed that not only was the vehile's registration expired, but the car had also been involved in a recent retail theft in the county.
Once they pulled the car over, the department says that “deputies noticed a large amount of alcohol and beauty products in the car,” a haul of cosmetics and booze whose value “totaled approximately $2,845.00.” These items appeared to have been stolen, so the deputies started asking questions.
The deputies note that one suspect, 29-year-old Corenesha Brooks of Antioch, “initially gave a fake name and birthdate to deputies, who realized Brooks appeared older than the 2012 birthdate she had given.” And as KRON4 points out, claiming that she was born in 2012 meant claiming she was 12 years old.
Brooks also happened to have an outstanding arrest warrant from Contra Costa County for $250,000 on theft charges.
The driver of the vehicle was 36-year-old Tawa Higgins of Pittsburg, and both she and Brooks were arrested and detained. Both face charges of organized retail theft, possession of stolen property, and felony conspiracy. Brooks faces additional charges of impersonating another to make liable, and for the outstanding warrant.
Yet Brooks’s and Higgins’s alleged retail theft spree may not be over yet. Both were released on $30,000 bail, though still face court dates and sentencing for their current and previous felony charges.
Related: 30-Year-Old SF Woman Accused of Committing 20 Separate Retail Thefts at Westfield Mall [SFist]
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