Couple sought in business burglary rash in El Paso Crime of the Week
An unidentified man and a woman are sought in a series of nighttime burglaries of El Paso businesses in early 2024 in the Crime of the Week.
Crime Stoppers of El Paso
An El Paso woman suspected in a string of locker room thefts at various Planet Fitness gyms has been arrested, El Paso County sheriff’s officials said this week.
An investigation by El Paso County sheriff’s deputies found that Ruth Angelica Barraza, 24, allegedly committed 10 separate thefts at five Planet Fitness locations in the El Paso area, officials said.
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Planet Fitness is a national fitness center chain with 11 locations in the El Paso area.
An investigation began on the night of May 6 when a customer reported that her locker had been burglarized at the Planet Fitness at 13681 Gateway West Blvd. near Eastlake Boulevard, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The woman told deputies that she was working out about 7 p.m. when someone removed her combination lock from her locker and stole several items from inside her purse, officials said.
Deputies from the East Montana Patrol Station investigating the gym theft learned that credit cards stolen from the woman’s purse were then used at a Ross Dress for Less store. Deputies reviewed security camera video from the Ross store and compared it to Planet Fitness check-in history to identify Barraza, officials said.
The investigation determined that Barraza allegedly committed 10 separate thefts at five Planet Fitness locations, sheriff’s officials said.
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El Paso County Jail records show Barraza was booked by El Paso police on May 17 on three counts of debit/credit card abuse. She was released on a $4,500 surety bond on May 20. She was then jailed again on May 26 on another charge of credit/debit card abuse and a burglary of vehicle case dating back to April 27.
She was released from jail on May 27 on a $2,500 surety bond. She doesn’t have a specific public defense attorney listed on court records.