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News Release

James Bernard Hobbs-Fletcher Admits To Stealing More Than $14K In Merchandise From Ulta Beauty -03/02/20

March 2, 2020

James Bernard Hobbs-Fletcher admits to stealing more than $14K in merchandise from Ulta Beauty

Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced that 26-year-old James Bernard Hobbs-Fletcher admitted that he stole more than $14,000 from Ulta Beauty.

Hobbs-Fletcher pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated theft in the first degree.

The court imposed a 24 month prison sentence with 24 months of post-prison supervision. Hobbs-Fletcher will have to pay $14,897 in restitution.

Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Kevin Demer, who prosecuted this case said: "These were deliberate thefts and these types of crimes have a real impact on our community. As we heard the court reiterate today, this is not a victimless crime. It impacts the business community, and in particular employees and the store customers who see the crime or pay higher prices. The cost of these crimes are substantial, both emotionally and financially.”

During this investigation, the Portland Police Bureau identified multiple instances of thefts occurring from Ulta Beauty stores located at Cascade Station, Jantzen Beach Center and Lloyd Center. In almost every case Hobbs-Fletcher would enter the stores and shove merchandise into his bag and leave without paying, even after being confronted by employees.

Most of the merchandise stolen included fragrances.

Date of Incident

Store Location

Value of merchandise

November 12, 2019

Cascade Station

$928

November 13, 2019

Jantzen Beach

$2,684

November 18, 2019

Lloyd Center

$2,067

November 19, 2019

Lloyd Center

$596

November 25, 2019

Jantzen Beach

$1,315

December 1, 2019

Cascade Station

$3,184

December 4, 2019

Cascade Station

$3,619

On December 10, 2019, police located Hobbs-Fletcher in the 11400 block of Northeast Sandy Boulevard on an unrelated matter. Inside the location where Hobbs-Fletcher was located, police found several Ulta Beauty bags.

The next day, police spoke with Hobbs-Fletcher about his possible involvement in the constant thefts that were occurring at Ulta Beauty stores throughout Portland. During that interview, Hobbs-Fletcher confirmed his identity in surveillance images police showed him. He also wrote an apology letter and explained that he stole to support his heroin habit.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office recognizes Portland Police Bureau Detectives Travis Fields and Todd Teats for their dedicated efforts investigating this case and the PPB patrol officers who responded to these individual thefts.

This case was prosecuted by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office Strategic Prosecution and Services Unit, which reviews cases that stem from neighborhood-specific concerns. The unit is primarily responsible for interfacing with the community over specific issues, and handles all types of cases across the criminal justice spectrum to include misdemeanors and homicides.

#MCDA#


Contact: Brent Weisberg, Communications Director 
Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office
Phone: 503.988.6567 | Email: Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us 

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