June 12, 2025 – Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD), with assistance from the Lebanon Police Department (LPD), has dismantled a retail theft ring, arresting four people and obtaining a warrant for a fifth suspect.
Laura Natalia Alvarado-Martinez, 48, Rogelio Arpero-Murillo, 32, Oscar Balderas, 36, and Edson Odin Ponce-Cotero, 37, were apprehended by Lebanon police on Wednesday, June 11. Alvarado-Martinez and Arpero-Murillo face two counts of felony theft each, while Balderas and Ponce-Cotero face one count each. Authorities have issued a warrant for 21-year-old Caleb Abraham Ponce-Cotero.
The group allegedly shoplifted large amounts of clothing and used a device to defeat security measures at Burlington Coat Factory on Medical Center Parkway and TJMaxx on June 5. They are also accused of a felony theft at Burlington on April 24, with additional charges pending from another theft investigation at Burlington on June 9.
Crime data analysts from the department’s Real Time Crime Center received an LPR alert on two vehicles in Lebanon believed to be involved in the thefts. MPD sent out an attempt-to-ID/locate bulletin and later notified LPD of the suspects’ possible location. The four were apprehended and returned to Murfreesboro.
Detectives urge anyone with information on Caleb Abraham Ponce-Cotero’s whereabouts to contact Detective Gorham at 629-201-5507.
Alvarado-Martinez is held on a $17,000 bond, Arpero-Murillo on a $23,000 bond, Edson Ponce-Cotero on an $18,000 bond, and Balderas on a $20,000 bond at Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. Hearings are set for July 14 in General Sessions Court.
Source: Murfreesboro Police
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