For the past several years, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) has been proactively involved in investigating, arresting, and combating organized retail theft in the Central Florida area, using valuable partnerships to accomplish these goals. In one recent case, PCSO Sergeant Jim Ostojic, partnering with the Lakeland Police Department, Plant City Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and Bealls Department Store security personnel, uncovered a group which included two female suspects who went to various stores in Polk County every day with a “shopping list” of items to steal, ultimately delivering those stolen items to their “fences,” who then sold the stolen goods.
CNBC and other national media became interested in Sgt. Ostojic’s proactive approach to organized retail crime after he was recognized by the National Retail Federation in 2008 as Retail Officer of the Year. The award was presented to then-Detective Ostojic due to his spearheading of “Operation Beauty Stop” — a seven-month long investigation which resulted in law enforcement arrest teams throughout central Florida serving five search warrants and arresting 18 people related to the retail theft ring and fencing operation involving health, beauty, and cosmetic (HBC) products and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines.
A CNBC crew traveled to Polk County in early 2011 to ride along with Sgt. Ostojic and PCSO detectives as they conducted surveillance on suspects Miriam Bermejo and Marjoree Poll while they shoplifted items from such stores as Bealls, Bealls Outlet, Big Lots, and Lowes. The CNBC crew was there on February 4, 2011, when detectives from PCSO and LPD served search warrants at Poll’s and Bermejo’s residences, and placed both women under arrest. The detectives, working with Plant City Police and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, then arranged for the two suspects to meet with their “fence,” Salvador Carvajal, near the county line between Polk in Hillsborough Counties, due to the fact that he lives in Plant City. After witnessing Carvajal make a deal with the women to purchase what he knew to be stolen or fraudulently obtained merchandise gift cards, detectives placed Carvajal under arrest as well.
On Wednesday, June 8, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. (ET) this case and others will be highlighted during the CNBC program “Crime, Inc.” The show will include exclusive interviews with Sheriff Grady Judd and Sgt. Jim Ostojic.
