A Miami woman is accused of working with her underage daughter to steal items from stores after they were caught with stolen merchandise at Disney Springs.
Ivette Perez, 52, was arrested and charged with third-degree grand theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She pleaded not guilty in Orange Circuit Court, records show.
On April 12, an employee at Disney’s Pin Traders noticed a girl scooping pins into her bag. The girl stole about 15 pins, although another employee told authorities she watched the girl steal about 40 pins, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s report.
It’s unclear the girl’s age, other than that she was described as a juvenile in the arrest report.
An adult woman wearing green – authorities said it was Perez – asked the store for a clear plastic bag while the girl’s theft was unfolding. The arrest report said employees described Perez’s request as suspicious and appeared to be an attempt to distract store employees from the girl taking the pins.
The girl left the store without paying for the pins, and then was detained at the World of Disney Store at Disney Springs, authorities said. Between Perez and her daughter, the two were in possession of stolen items worth $2,030, the arrest report said.
A deputy interviewed Perez, who admitted she knew her daughter was stealing and did not have enough money on her to pay for the pins, per the arrest report. Perez also voluntarily showed authorities the text messages with her daughter that were damning evidence. According to the report, the texts said the girl needed to hurry up stealing from the stores and come back to the car so they would not get caught holding the bags.
Perez “contributed, aided, and abetted to the thefts by allowing (the girl) to keep the stolen items. Furthermore, Ivette was in possession of several stolen products, indicating she was working in coordination with (the minor) to commit the thefts in her presence,” the arrest report noted.
Perez has a prior criminal record in Miami-Dade, records show. Public Defender Melissa Vickers, who is representing Perez, declined to comment.
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