Manager, Stepdaughter Arrested In Bristow Walmart Heist

The manager of the Walmart in Bristow has been arrested in connection with the theft of more than $75,000 in cash on July 4th.

Wednesday, July 8th 2015, 11:42 am

By: Richard Clark, Tess Maune


The manager of the Walmart in Bristow has been arrested in connection with the theft of more than $75,000 in cash on July 4.

Bristow Police identified the manager as Rico Robertson. They said his 21-year-old stepdaughter, Mariah Bustamonte, is also in custody in the theft.

Witnesses told police a man with a gun and bulletproof vest walked into the Walmart on the afternoon of July 4, 2015 and claimed to be an armored truck driver. 

7/4/2015: Related Story: Man Poses As Armored Truck Driver, Steals $75K From Bristow Walmart, Police Say

The employees who handed over the cash told police they didn't realized the error until the real Loomis truck came to make the scheduled pickup about 30 minutes later.

Investigators said the crime took planning.

"It isn't something you're just sitting around talking about one night and doing the next day," Bristow Detective Kevin Webster said.

In the small town of Bristow, the Fourth of July heist is the talk of the town.

"It's just unreal," Bristow resident Richard Peirce said. "Everybody in town's talking about it.

"Small town USA, stuff like that don't happen here. The biggest thing that happens around here is a horse gets loose or something," Bristow resident, William Griffith said. "It's not the Walmart got robbed. I mean, come on, that's pretty unique. Everybody in the nation knows about it."

While folks in town chattered, investigators spent days looking through surveillance footage and tracking leads, which Webster said led officers to Robertson and Bustamonte.

"Different things led us to believe, 'Hey, this isn't right. They had to know too much to do this, to do that,' things like that," Webster said.

Late Tuesday, Bristow police and OSBI agents arrested Robertson and Bustamonte at a home near Okmulgee. They were booked into jail on complaints of conspiracy to commit a felony and grand larceny. 

Investigators said Bustamonte was the getaway driver while Robertson was working a shift at Walmart when the theft occurred. Webster said Robertson did not hand over the money, but said Robertson did play a role in planning the theft.

The man who posed as a Loomis driver got away with more than $75,000 in cash, according to investigators. Police are still looking for him. He left in a newer-model Chevrolet Malibu that was all black, including the wheels. Police have not said what they believe his connection is to Robertson.

Officials still are following leads in the case and are confident they will make more arrests.

We do want to make one thing clear: Detectives sent us a picture on Monday of a man who they considered a person of interest and asked for the public's help in identifying him. Officers said they have cleared that man because he was a shopper who had nothing to do with the crime.

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