Woman charged in $50K Las Vegas Strip theft arrested again
A New Orleans woman charged with drugging a man and stealing $50,000 in cash from him on the Strip in January was arrested in a similar theft Saturday.
Danette Colbert, 45, was first arrested by Las Vegas police in a Jan. 17 theft at Wynn Las Vegas. A man reported to police that he invited two women he met in a bar to his hotel room, according to an arrest report. He later woke up in his room with a bloody nose and discovered that $50,000 cash, a Rolex watch worth $30,000, $11,000 in casino chips, his iPhone 11, a Louis Vuitton luggage bag worth $5,000 and a satchel valued at $2,000 were all missing.
The man said he made drinks for the women in his room but gave one woman $200 to leave because she was rude. The last thing he remembers, the report said said, is walking the woman to the door of the room.
“He believes he may have been drugged,” police said.
Police collected a urine sample from the man for testing. They said video surveillance confirmed the man’s account of going to the room with the two women and that one woman left about five minutes before the second. Police identified the second woman on the video as Colbert.
“Colbert is seen leaving (the man’s) room alone carrying a large black bag,” police said.
On Jan. 29, Wynn security saw Colbert and the second woman at the property. The second woman’s name was redacted in Colbert’s arrest report.
In an interview with police, Colbert confirmed she was the woman pictured on video surveillance. Colbert denied drugging the man and claimed the bag was given to her. After police interviewed the second woman, they did not suspect her of involvement in the theft.
Colbert was charged May 11 in Las Vegas Justice Court with theft value $25,000 or greater but less than $100,000 and administering a drug to aid in the commission of a felony. She posted a surety bond and was released. Her case continued until August so she could retain an attorney, according to court records.
Encore theft
On Monday, police arrested Colbert in a July 9 theft at Encore, as part of a grand larceny and administering a drug investigation. A man told police that he met two women in a bar and he invited them to his room to drink.
“While sitting on the couch, one of the females grabbed (his) head, forced it back, while the other female poured an unidentified liquid down his throat,” police said. “(He) described the liquid to smell like tequila but was unsure.”
He soon became dizzy “and noticed he may have been drugged,” police said.
The women, he told police, started asking for money, so he asked them to leave, but they refused. A struggle ensued, police said, and the man was able to get the two out of the room. The next morning police said he woke up and realized his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch worth $60,000, $1,500 in casino chips and his credit card were missing. He said when he checked his credit card account, there were multiple charges from across the valley for purchases he did not make.
Police said they found a white powdery substance on the countertop of the room near a tequila bottle. Police obtained video of the two women leaving Encore, then took both into custody two days later when the women returned to the Strip property.
One of them was identified as Colbert. In an interview with detectives, Colbert denied wrongdoing. She told police she was with the man at the Encore two nights earlier and went to his room to dance for him in exchange for $1,100 in casino chips.
“These are the same casino chips (the man) reported stolen after being drugged,” police said. “Surveillance video shows Colbert cashing the chips at the cashier’s cage of the casino.”
Colbert was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on suspicion of grand larceny of more than $25,000 and administering a drug to aid in the commission of a felony. A criminal complaint in this case had not been filed by Friday. Justice Court records indicate Colbert was able to post a surety bond on Tuesday. She is no longer in custody.
A status check on the case is scheduled for August.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
