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Booze buy, theft lead to arrests

Charles Agar

Aspen, CO ColoradoASPEN It was a wild weekend for area retailers, as one man was arrested under suspicion of buying alcohol for minors at a local liquor store, and a woman turned herself in for suspected cosmetics theft.Underage booze buy foiledThanks to a vigilant Aspen Wine and Spirits staff, Aspen Police arrested 32-year-old Shawn Philpott on Friday under suspicion of buying alcohol for minors.Liquor store employees noticed Philpott acting suspiciously in the store and followed him outside after he made a purchase, said Aspen Police Sergeant Bill Linn. Employees witnessed Philpott exchange the alcohol for money with two young people in front of the store and called police.Philpott, who has no known address, is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and also procuring alcohol for an underage person. He was taken to the Pitkin County jail where he is being held on $5,000 bond.The two teenagers, a male and a female age 16 and 17, were summonsed for underage possession of alcohol and released.Linn congratulated Aspen Wine and Spirits staff for their vigilance and said they did a great job to pay such close attention.Cosbar shoplifter turns herself inAndrea Hernandez-Hernandez turned herself in at the county courthouse Friday afternoon in connection with suspected theft of cosmetics from Aspen’s Cosbar.Hernandez was hired to wrap packages during the holidays for the Aspen cosmetic retailer, but when a manager confronted her on suspicion of theft, a search of her bag turned up items she hadn’t paid for, said Aspen Detective Eric Ross.At a Jan. 2 staff meeting about the incident, Hernandez confessed to other thefts and said she’d shipped a box to her family in California. Cosbar staff contacted police and were able to track the UPS package which turned up more than $1,400 in stolen goods.Hernandez turned herself in at the Pitkin County Courthouse Friday and is being held in the Pitkin County Jail on a $5,000 bond, Ross said. She is being charged with a theft series, a Class 4 felony, and will appear in court Jan. 24.Originally from Mexico, Hernandez came to Aspen from California. Because of some questions on her immigration status, Hernandez is being held pending a review from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.