MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A 20-year-old woman from Overtown is facing felony charges after police say she targeted men in Miami Beach hotels, used pepper spray to temporarily blind them, and stole high-end valuables.
Esther Maria Torres was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of armed robbery.
According to investigators, Torres struck twice. On March 26, she allegedly pepper-sprayed an international tourist at the Breakwater Hotel, taking his Hugo Boss watch and wallet. Days later, on March 30, she returned to a man’s room at the Fontainebleau Hotel and reportedly stole his $22,000 Rolex Submariner after using the same blinding tactic.
Police say that in mid-April, they stopped a vehicle Torres entered shortly after one of the thefts. Although they arrested a man at the scene, Torres arrived later, helping police identify her. A “need to identify” flyer confirmed she was the same woman involved, leading to her arrest.
Torres appeared in Miami-Dade court on Friday and was ordered held without bond.
Meanwhile, Miami police also arrested a Las Vegas woman, Rachel Marie Warner, 23, accused of similar hotel crimes. Instead of pepper spray, Warner allegedly used drugs to incapacitate her victims and is suspected in at least two “bad date” incidents in the area.
