Contributed by Staff
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Venezuelan national, 35-year-old Henyer Jose Rivero-Torres, found himself in legal trouble on June 12 after being apprehended for driving without a valid license. He further faced allegations of pilfering sunglasses worth $1,250 from Bass Pro Shops.
Following Rivero-Torres’s detention for the driving offense, a detective from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ASO) connected him to a theft incident at Bass Pro Shops in May.
The theft occurred on May 15, when reports indicated that around 11 a.m., a male individual was seen near the Sunglass Outfitter’s kiosk. He reportedly stole six pairs of high-end sunglasses, relocated to another part of the store, and severed security tags before exiting without making a purchase. Evidence suggests that the same individual and a Hispanic woman are habitual offenders at the retail outlet.
The store’s Loss Prevention Officer provided a license plate that was spotted on two vehicles at the Bass Pro Shops location: a Toyota Camry and a Toyota Highlander.
The detective noted that a University of Florida Police Department officer had stopped a Toyota Highlander with the same tag number on April 3 and reported that it was driven by Rivero-Torres. The officer issued a citation for attaching a tag that was not assigned to the vehicle and for driving without a valid license. The detective noted that the pictures from that officer’s body-worn camera looked like the suspect in the Bass Pro Shops theft.
The detective learned on June 12 that a car with the same tag had been pulled over by ASO, and the driver was arrested for driving without a valid license. The detective noted that photographs of Rivero-Torres’s shoes from the arrest were “clearly the same” as those worn by the Bass Pro Shops suspect.
The detective administered a photo lineup to the Bass Pro Shops LPO, and he identified Rivero-Torres as the suspect in the theft of the sunglasses.
The detective also noted that five anti-theft devices made from steel cables were found in the pocket of the pants that Rivero-Torres tried on after visiting the sunglasses kiosk.
Rivero-Torres has been charged with grand theft and five counts of destruction of loss prevention devices. He has no local criminal history, but he has a federal history from 2024. Judge Jonathan Ramsey set bail at $60,000, and Rivero-Torres is being held on a federal detainer.
ASO’s arrest forms do not have a field for citizenship status, and local court records are silent about Rivero-Torres’s citizenship status. He told Court Services that he has been in the area for about two years and is self-employed.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.