A Sonoma County woman tried to escape a retail theft by pretending to be a 12-year-old girl, police said. However, her plot failed and the 29-year-old woman was arrested. Authorities said she was found to already have an outstanding warrant related to approximately $250,000 in stolen property.
Korenesha Brooks, of Antioch, is currently facing five felony counts of organized retail theft and child impersonation, according to a news release from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies encountered a 12-year-old boy on Dec. 18 during a traffic stop. Two deputies found a car with a burnt-out headlight and an expired registration near Highway 37 and Arnold Drive near San Pablo Bay. One of the deputies recognized the vehicle as having been previously stolen in Sonoma County.
When the vehicle was stopped around 10:25 p.m., a large quantity of beauty products and alcohol, valued at an estimated $2,845, were discovered.
The passenger initially gave deputies a false name and date of birth in 2012, but the woman appeared to be older and was not fooled by the alibi, the sheriff’s office said. After further investigation, investigators located Brooks and learned that she had an outstanding warrant out of Contra Costa County for a $250,000 theft charge.
Neither Brooks nor the driver, Tawa Higgins, 36, could provide receipts for the items in the vehicle, which the sheriff’s office believes were stolen from at least five locations in the county.
Brooks was arrested on charges of organized retail theft, possession of stolen property, conspiracy, impersonation, and an external warrant. Higgins, a native of Pittsburg in Contra Costa County, was arrested on charges of organized retail theft, possession of stolen property and conspiracy.
The women were later released on $30,000 bail each.
