On January 12, 2026, at approximately 2:35 p.m., Officers were called to the Ulta store in South Lakeland for a theft that had just occurred. Store personnel reported that two females, later identified as Deja Grooms and Sierra Lockwood, had fled the store with bags of merchandise without paying. The duo met up with Cedrianna Church, who was waiting outside the store. All three fled in a rental car. Back inside the store, the employee located another female, Denise Wright, with a bag full of merchandise. The employee asked if she could assist her, and Wright declined, saying that she was waiting for her sister, who was in the restroom. Wright then set down the bag of merchandise and immediately left the building, meeting up with the black Volvo and fleeing the location. No other female was located in the restroom. Upon review of the surveillance footage, it was confirmed that Wright had walked into the store just after Grooms and Lockwood. Upon inventory of the merchandise, it was found that approximately 49 items were stolen with a value of $3,869.
Undeterred by almost getting caught at the South location, the group was found to be at the North Lakeland Ulta just a little over an hour later. Officers were called to the North Lakeland store for a possible theft at approximately 3:49 p.m. Grooms, Church, and Wright had entered the store. Grooms placed items in a bag but dropped the items due to antitheft devices starting to beep. As the three were exiting the store, detectives and officers with LPD detained the women for questioning. Post-Miranda, three of the suspects admitted working in coordination with each other in depriving Ulta of the retail items.
Upon initial search of the vehicle the suspects were traveling in, an estimated $8,700 worth of stolen merchandise was located…