Three Texas thieves are wanted by authorities in Oklahoma for allegedly stealing $25,000 from a man who stopped to pray at a shrine.
Gabriel Lara, Nicholas Barrientos and Ruben Barrientos, all of whom have criminal records, allegedly stalked the victim while visiting a shrine in Oklahoma City before stealing a large amount of cash from her car. KOCO reported.
Police said the trio started their day in early November by stealing Oklahoma license plates from a car outside Santa Fe South High School in Oklahoma City. According to local news stations, they placed the stolen license plates on their cars, threw away the old plates and ran out onto the road.
The suspects then drove to a nearby Bank of America to search for a person of interest. The unidentified victim arrived at the bank and withdrew $25,000, planning to use the money to buy a car, the department said.
The suspects allegedly followed the victim's car to Blessed Stanley Rother Cathedral. This sacred site is dedicated to Stanley Rother, the first American-born priest to be beatified by the Catholic Church.
The victim parked far away from other cars and climbed the hill to the shrine to pray. During that time, police said, the suspects smashed the car's window, stole the cash inside the car, and made off with all the cash.
The three were reportedly driving northbound at a high rate of speed until police in Wichita, Kansas, stopped them for a traffic violation.
According to court documents obtained by the outlet, officers “noticed the odor of marijuana and a contradictory travel story.”
According to court documents, authorities searched the vehicle and found a pile of cash, but left it alone because “no narcotics were found and no prior drug charges were located.”
KOCO reported that the officers asked the suspects about the wad of money, but the driver told them it was from a recently sold vehicle.
All three suspects had IDs and addresses in Texas, and the registered owner of their vehicle admitted that it was sold to Lara. All three had no ties to Oklahoma, according to arrest warrants.
All of their previous records are for crimes committed in Waco, Texas. Lara is charged with evading arrest, Ruben Barrientos is charged with theft of property and vehicle burglary, and Nicolas Barrientos is charged with driving under the influence, according to the documents.
They all face several new charges in Oklahoma, including but not limited to theft and criminal offense types.
All three remain at large.
