Repeat Offender Accused of Targeting Women in Disturbing South Florida Store Attacks Arrested Again
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A Miami-Dade man with two prior battery convictions for similar conduct has been arrested again after authorities say he targeted a female employee inside a Ross Dress for Less, masturbated through his clothing while following her and then sprayed what detectives described as a substance consistent with semen onto the unsuspecting woman.
Sean Edward Uribe, 37, was taken into custody Monday and faces a battery charge based on two prior convictions, along with a probation violation, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. Authorities have described Uribe as a repeat offender and are now asking anyone who believes they may have been victimized by him to contact investigators.
The latest allegations are particularly alarming because this is not the first time Uribe has been accused of targeting unsuspecting women inside South Florida retail stores. Court and arrest records cited by local news outlets show a pattern of similar incidents stretching back at least two years, including a 2024 case involving a juvenile girl at another Ross store and a more recent case involving a woman at Marshalls.
Witness Says Uribe Positioned Himself Behind Ross Employee
The latest case unfolded at a Ross Dress for Less near Southwest 137th Avenue and Miller Drive in Miami-Dade County. Local 10 reported the incident occurred Aug. 14, while NBC 6 and CBS Miami cited authorities describing the battery complaint as occurring Aug. 17. That discrepancy appears in current local reporting and has not yet been fully reconciled publicly. According to the arrest report obtained by Local 10, a Ross employee noticed Uribe walking back and forth through the store in what she considered a suspicious manner. The witness told investigators that she saw Uribe grabbing and rubbing his penis through his clothing before positioning himself directly behind another female employee who was working in an aisle.
The employee being targeted apparently did not initially realize what was happening behind her. According to investigators, the witness saw Uribe standing near the woman with his hands positioned around his crotch before apparently spraying a substance onto the employee as he walked away. When the witness approached her coworker and explained what she had seen, a cloudy and sticky substance was visible on the back of the woman’s shirt and pants. Detective Diego Mendoza told Local 10 the substance was consistent with semen. He said the woman was deeply distressed by what happened and went home crying.
Detectives Recognized the Suspect From Previous Cases
Perhaps the most disturbing part of the case is how investigators say they identified their suspect. According to the arrest report, detectives reviewed surveillance footage and recognized Uribe because they were already familiar with him and what authorities described as his previous “modus operandi.” A witness later identified him in a photo lineup, and deputies took him into custody while he was reporting to his probation officer. Records cited by investigators show Uribe has two previous battery convictions involving similar conduct. He was already on probation for battery and attempting to tamper with physical evidence when he was arrested in the latest case, according to Local 10.
NBC 6 reported that Uribe had also been arrested in May following another disturbing encounter at a Marshalls near Mills Drive in the Town and Country area. In that case, a woman told investigators that Uribe stood behind her in a checkout line while apparently photographing or recording her with his phone. She then allegedly felt him press himself against her from behind before feeling a warm substance hit her back. Authorities have also linked Uribe to similar incidents at another Marshalls location in 2024.
A Juvenile Girl Was Allegedly Targeted at Another Ross
One of the most serious previous cases involved a juvenile girl shopping inside a Ross Dress for Less in Kendall in June 2024. According to a Miami-Dade police arrest report cited by Local 10, other shoppers allegedly saw Uribe use a medical syringe to place an unknown liquid on the buttocks area of the girl’s jean shorts before filming her with his phone. Witnesses alerted store employees, but the suspect left before police arrived. Investigators subsequently connected Uribe to the case through surveillance footage and another investigation involving what police described as similar behavior. Authorities said Uribe was wearing the same Miami Dolphins hat during multiple incidents, helping investigators identify him.
The investigation became even more disturbing when detectives executed a search warrant at Uribe’s west Miami-Dade home. According to police, investigators recovered three medical syringes containing a thick white substance that authorities said appeared consistent with semen. Officers also reported finding clothing matching what the suspect had been wearing in surveillance footage. Uribe was arrested in that case on charges including battery and battery on a child involving bodily fluids. As with the newest allegations, those details should be attributed to police and court records rather than presented as independently established fact.
Why Was an Alleged Repeat Offender Back in Stores?
The latest arrest raises an unavoidable public-safety question: how did someone with multiple arrests, two prior battery convictions and an established pattern of allegedly similar behavior end up back inside another retail store while on probation? The answer will require a closer examination of Uribe’s individual criminal cases, sentences, probation conditions and court decisions. An arrest history alone does not establish guilt in every allegation, and the newest criminal case has not been adjudicated.
What authorities are publicly saying, however, is unusually direct. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has described Uribe as a repeat offender. Detectives say they recognized him because of previous incidents involving a similar method, and records show he was already serving probation when authorities arrested him again. That makes this more than an isolated allegation inside a discount clothing store. It raises questions about how the criminal justice system manages defendants convicted of repeated offenses involving unwanted bodily contact, particularly when authorities believe subsequent allegations demonstrate a recognizable pattern of behavior.
Miami-Dade Detectives Believe There Could Be More Victims
Investigators are now asking the public for help determining whether additional people may have encountered Uribe. That request is significant because the allegations span multiple stores and multiple years, while several incidents described by investigators involved victims who apparently did not immediately understand what had happened to them.
In the newest Ross case, the employee allegedly did not initially see the suspect behind her and learned what had happened because another employee witnessed it. In the 2024 Ross case involving the juvenile, other shoppers reportedly alerted the girl after witnessing the alleged conduct.
Detectives are therefore asking anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Uribe to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477. Uribe invoked his right to remain silent following his latest arrest, according to the arrest report. As of Friday morning, he remained at the Metrowest Detention Center, with his bond listed as still to be determined. He is presumed innocent of the newest charges unless and until proven guilty in court.
Sources
Local 10: Man Accused in Disturbing Miami-Dade Ross Incident
NBC 6 South Florida: Repeat Offender Arrested Again
CBS News Miami: Miami-Dade Investigators Arrest Repeat Offender
