2 Arrested In Sonoma County Ulta Beauty Store Heists, Police Say

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Thieves targeted Ulta Beauty stores in Petaluma and Santa Rosa for the second time in less than a month but two of the culprits were caught when they tried to ditch the merchandise in a dumpster, police said.

The first theft was reported at 11:32 a.m. Sunday at the Ulta Beauty at 401 Kenilworth Drive in Petaluma.

Employees at the store reported that three suspects came in and filled large bags with fragrances. The suspects left the store with a yet-to-be-determined amount of merchandise and were seen getting into what was described as a silver sedan missing a headlight, Petaluma police Lt. Garrett Glaviano said.

Officers responded but were not able to find the suspects' car. They immediately requested that dispatchers notify the Santa Rosa Police Department, Glaviano said.

Shortly before 12:45 p.m., a robbery was reported at the Ulta Beauty store at Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa.

"It was reported that three men entered the store and stole a large quantity of fragrance products before fleeing the area in a cream-colored sedan," Santa Rosa police Sgt. Patricia Seffens said. "Fortunately, officers with the Petaluma Police Department had provided our agency with information about a similar theft that occurred approximately one hour earlier at the Ulta Beauty location in their city. The PPD officers knew Ulta had two stores in Santa Rosa and believed the suspects may try to target our locations."

Unfortunately, Seffens said, due to a high volume of calls for service and staffing shortages, there were no officers available to proactively patrol the locations prior to the theft.

"Because of the information provided by our PPD partners, SRPD officers already had the physical descriptions of the suspects and the involved vehicle when the Santa Rosa theft occurred," Seffens said.

Shortly after the theft in Santa Rosa, two SRPD officers spotted the suspects' car traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 101. When the officers tried to stop the car, the driver accelerated and drove erratically to avoid being taken into custody, the sergeant said.

A short pursuit ensued and reached speeds of approximately 110 mph. The suspect wove around traffic and drove on the shoulder of the freeway without any regard for public safety, police said.

"The officers pursued the vehicle until it was determined continuing the pursuit was no longer safe for the public, officers, or suspects," Seffens said. "PPD officers were notified of the pursuit and began staging in the area waiting for the vehicle to enter their jurisdiction."

Then, at 12:50 p.m., a business on Auto Center Drive called the Petaluma Police Department and reported that three people were dumping fragrances in a dumpster behind their business. The caller described the car and the three suspects, which police said matched the descriptions from both thefts.

Petaluma officers went to the business and found one suspect who was initially compliant but began to run, Glaviano said.

After a brief foot pursuit, the suspect, 26-year-old Trezell Heckard of Vallejo was taken into custody and it was determined he was the registered owner of the car used in the robberies, Glaviano said.

As officers continued to search the area, Petaluma PD received another call from a community member about the suspects' car, which was parked at Sprouts.

Officers learned the two outstanding suspects were picked up by a second car.

At 4:15 p.m., Petaluma PD got another call from the business on Auto Center Drive about someone looking through the dumpster. Officers responded and stopped 27-year-old Kahlin Erwin of Sacramento as he was leaving the area, Glaviano said.

Erwin was driving on a suspended license and his reasoning for being in the area was not logical and he was determined to be involved in the thefts, the sergeant said.

Thousands of dollars’ worth of Ulta Beauty products were found in the dumpster, police said.

"Heckard and his co-conspirators were responsible for the theft of over $6,000 worth of products from the Santa Rosa Ulta Beauty location, and a yet-to-be-determined amount from the Petaluma location," police said.

Heckard was booked into Sonoma County jail on suspicion of grand theft, conspiracy, resisting arrest and parole violation. He remained in custody Monday with his bail set at $25,000, according to jail records.

Erwin was booked into Sonoma County jail on suspicion of grand theft, conspiracy and driving on a suspended license. Jail records indicated has since been released from custody.

Petaluma PD said it was pursuing investigative leads on the third suspect and will seek criminal charges once he is identified.

"We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to the Petaluma Police Department for their assistance in our investigation, and to the community members in Petaluma who provided invaluable information to PPD related to both our investigation," Santa Rosa police said.

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