Two thieves arrested for stealing bags at Barefoot Beach

Neighbors are in shock that someone stole a woman’s bag while she was in the water. People nearby said they could not believe someone would do that.

Collier County Sheriff’s Office reported a few weeks ago two women set their bags down at Barefoot Beach and went into the water. When they came back their bags were gone with nearly $1,000 worth of property in them.

On Friday, deputies arrested Anastasia Baran and Bryan Gomez, both 20 years old. Deputies tracked them down from surveillance video that caught them during a transaction at a pawn shop.

“Just can’t believe people do that to other people,” Kent Hill said. “You know there’s just no call for that.”

Hill knows what it feels like to have thieves steal from you.

“Anytime anybody treats other people terribly like that — I had a house broken into one time — you feel violated,” Hill said.

Larry Lilly was shocked anyone would commit this crime at the beach.

“I got to be candid with you,” Larry Lilly said. “I was very disappointed to hear that because of all the years here I’ve never heard of anyone getting their bag stolen while I was on the beach.”

The police report shows that the two thieves worked together to sell stolen items from the women’s beach bags — two cell phones and a designer bag for $80.

Baran bonded out of jail, and Gomez is still behind bars.

The pawn shop told WINK News they hold things for 30 days before putting them on the shelves and upload everything to a website police can check for stolen items.

“If they’re desperate and they need money and they’re hurting, I don’t know it’s sad,” Brad Snow said. It’s too bad that they had to do that.”