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2 arrested after $5K of merchandise stolen from Salem Ulta

Ulta Beauty Store at the Willamette Town Center in Salem as seen on Google Street View, March 28, 2023 (KOIN)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Two women were arrested after an estimated $5,000 worth of merchandise was stolen from an Ulta Beauty Store at the Willamette Town Center mall on Monday, according to Salem Police Department.

Around 12:15 p.m., officers responded to the Lancaster Drive Ulta after a report that a woman filled a shopping bag with the merchandise and left without paying, authorities said.

After the woman fled the scene in a vehicle driven by another woman, police said officers found the suspects — 37-year-old Amber Alvarado and 29-year-old Taylor Hunt — inside the vehicle in a Target parking lot across from the mall.

Authorities said they found stolen merchandise, “documentation of organized theft,” along with drug paraphernalia and a handgun inside the car.

Alvarado and Hunt were lodged at Marion County Jail on first-degree theft charges, with Alvarado facing an additional felon in possession of a firearm charge.

Salem Police Department said Alvarado remains in custody awaiting arraignment on Tuesday.