Women stole $338K of Lululemon merch in thefts from Bellingham to L.A., charges say

Four women and an 11-year-old girl are accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise in organized thefts from Lululemon stores from Bellingham to Los Angeles, according to charging documents.

The group was connected to 45 thefts from the Canadian athletic apparel retailer amounting to at least $338,336 between Aug. 7 and April 3, according to documents filed in Pierce County Superior Court , as well as a theft of designer purses valued at $17,600. Records show a Bellevue Police Department detective worked closely with Lululemon’s organized retail crime investigator for the region to track the crimes and connect them to the women.

Janeice Renee Downs, 24 of Kent, was charged April 26 with first-degree organized retail theft in Pierce County. An arraignment date has not been set. FOX 13 News reported that Downs, her mother, Janeice Wiley, and Reality Leavens, 18, appeared for arraignment last week in Bellevue on similar charges.

Downs’ charges in Pierce County accuse her of stealing an estimated $20,784 of leggings and jackets from the LuluLemon at the Tacoma Mall on March 28 with an unidentified accomplice, but the 90-page affidavit ties her to a total of 38 thefts amounting to $287,932 worth of Lululemon merchandise from stores in Washington, Oregon and California.

The value of the stolen merchandise was estimated by Lululemon for a number of the thefts, and records state the company sometimes intentionally underestimated the amount of items that were taken, so the amount stolen is likely an under count in court records. FOX 13 reported that Downs, Wiley and Leavens were accused of stealing more than half a million dollars worth of clothing.

The women pulled off the thefts alone and in groups, according to the charging documents, walking into stores and filling reusable shopping bags with clothing or hiding items under long dresses. They sometimes hit multiple stores in a single day and then traveled long distances to steal from stores in another state. Downs allegedly stole from stores in Seattle and Tukwila on Nov. 8, then went to the Portland area the next day for two more.

After gathering and concealing clothing, the suspects would walk out of the store and drive off in cars with no license plates. Investigators knew Downs’ drove a 2014 Cadillac ATS in part because the woman’s boyfriend was Derrion Lewis, who was arrested on suspicion of murder in August. The Seattle Times reported that Lewis, 22, is now charged with three murders . During his arrest, Downs’ mother was questioned about a Cadillac in the driveway, records state, and she said it belonged to her daughter.

The fourth woman connected to the theft ring, Memory Yearby, 27, was charged in December in Pierce County, accused of stealing $5,106 worth of leggings from the Lululemon at the Tacoma Mall. Court records in Downs’ case allege Yearby is connected to at least two more thefts in Bellevue and Tigard, Oregon. The 11-year-old girl was tied to thefts that amounted to at least $130,138 worth of merchandise.

Downs made at least three trips to California, the first of which was in August when she, Leavens and Yearby were arrested in Glendale for the theft of designer bags, records show. Wiley was also with them. Downs was released on bond the same day, Aug. 15, and Leavens and Yearby were similarly released the next day.

A week later, Downs, Wiley and Leavens were back in Washington, allegedly stealing from Lululemon stores in Tukwila, Seattle and Bellevue. Downs returned to the Los Angeles area again in September and October, allegedly stealing from five stores on her trips south.

The theft at a Lululemon in Bellingham occurred March 3. Downs and the 11-year-old girl allegedly stole $17,754 worth of clothing.

Investigators used images from surveillance cameras to identify the women involved in each theft, and they obtained a warrant for Downs’ cell phone records, which allegedly placed her in the area of the thefts she’s accused of.

A regional SWAT team and Bellevue detectives surrounded Downs’ Kent residence April 9, according to the probable cause document. After the occupants were ordered to come out, Downs, her mother, Wiley, the 11-year-old girl and several other people exited the home. Downs and Wiley were arrested.

Inside, detectives found three semi-automatic assault rifles and ammunition. Detectives noted in their report that Downs and Wiley are convicted felons, so it’s unlawful for them to possess firearms.

Detectives also found clothing that matched what Downs and the young girl wore during many of the thefts, including Downs’ rainbow-colored Crocs.

A Bellevue detective went to Downs’ first court appearance the next day at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. Wiley and several family members were in the gallery, and the detective “immediately” recognized an accomplice in Downs’ thefts, the 11-year-old girl. Records state she was identified as Wiley’s niece, and she was detained for investigation of organized retail theft.