BOZEMAN — A string of thefts and robberies across the country included two stores in Bozeman - and now one of the suspects has made her initial appearance in court.
Pilar Monserrat, 34 years old, is facing felony theft charges after allegedly stealing jewelry from a Bozeman store with a group of people. The group is also accused of stealing sport watches from the Bozeman REI store.
Court documents say the woman and her accomplices stole more than $11,000 worth of merchandise in Bozeman.
But investigators say the group may also be responsible for a chain of thefts at REI stores Missoula, and also in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. Those thefts could be valued at more than $60,000.
According to charging documents, on Tuesday, January 14, Alara Jewelry reported that items were stolen. Video surveillance from the store showed two women and two men enter the store on West Main Street at approximately 3:14 p.m. The younger man can be seen pulling tools out of his jacket pocket while standing in front of a display case, but puts the tools away when an employee approaches. A short time later, the man approached another case, took his tools out, and opened the lock on the case. He then reportedly concealed items and left the store at approximately 3:18 pm without paying for any of the items.
A Bozeman Police Department officer investigating the case saw in the video that while the man was taking the items, the three other people were distracting employees and/or acting as a lookout for the man. Video shows all four leave the store and walk south on Willson Avenue.
The owner of the store provided a list of items reported as stolen, including 11 rings with a total value of $7,040.
On Wednesday, January 15, police responded to a report of theft at REI Bozeman. Surveillance video was provided to a detective which showed four people (two men and two women) walking near the Garmin display. The detective saw the that four appeared to be the same as those at were in the Alara Jewelry video.
In this case, the younger man was seen on video "messing with" the lock of the display and removing items. He would then drop the items off behind a backpack display where an older woman retrieved them, hid them, and walked out of the store. A detailed list of missing items showed six Garmin watches with a total value of $4,400.
On January 22, investigators became aware of an arrest in Bloomington, Minnesota after a group of four suspects matching the Bozeman description were involved with theft at the Bloomington REI. When reviewing the Bloomington Police Department case, the same four suspects were caught on video repeating the theft that took place in the Bozeman REI. Two of the younger suspects were positively identified as suspects in the Bozeman REI and Alara Jewelry theft cases.
The man was identified as Jessi Diaz, 38, (AKA Freddi Gonzales-Valentin) and the woman was identified as Monserrat. Monserrat and Diaz were arrested; the other two suspects remain unidentified. Monserrat was extradited to Bozeman; Diaz remains incarcerated in Minnesota.
The Bozeman detective was able to obtain reports that the same group stole items from the REI stores in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Colorado.The total value of goods stolen from those locations is more than $60,000. Law enforcement officers believe that additional thefts will come to light after further investigation.
Monserrat faces up to $10,000 in fines and 10 years in prison for each of the two counts. In Gallatin County Justice Court, prosecutors say she has a criminal history in Texas and Minnesota for robbery and theft and is wanted in other states.
Monserrat’s bail was set at $250,000 and she was ordered not to leave the state without the court’s permission. Her next court appearance is set for March 6.
