Longtime felon pepper-sprays employee in Aventura Nordstrom Rack robbery, cops say

Pappy Miller, 57, was on probation at time of arrest

Pappy Miller (MDCR/Copyright 2026 Google)

AVENTURA, Fla. — A woman with a long criminal history in Miami-Dade County dating back nearly three decades is now facing four more felony charges after Aventura police said she pepper-sprayed a loss prevention employee during a robbery at a Nordstrom Rack store on Friday.

Authorities said Pappy Tina Miller, 57, of Miami Beach, committed her latest crime while on probation.

Investigators said Miller began stealing items from the Nordstrom Rack at 20669 Biscayne Blvd. just after 2:40 p.m. and, about 10 minutes later, walked out with nearly $1,800 in concealed goods in a shopping cart.

An arrest report states that the loss prevention officer tried to detain Miller and recover the stolen items but she “immediately resisted his efforts to recover the stolen merchandise by maintaining control of the shopping cart and actively struggling with him.”

She then “forcefully” pushed him away, pepper-sprayed him and fled, the report states.

Police said they determined Miller’s identity and found her just after 4:10 p.m. in the area of a nearby Best Buy store.

According to police, she identified herself as “Anna” and “denied being Pappy Tina Miller.” But authorities said they were able to prove it was her.

The report states that “Miller denied stealing any items and claimed she had paid for everything in her possession” and denied pepper-spraying the worker. She had discarded the pepper-spray canister, police said.

Police arrested Miller on charges including armed robbery, armed grand theft, evidence tampering and felon in possession of a weapon.

It adds to Miller’s long history of criminal conduct in Miami-Dade.

Records show her first criminal conviction in Miami-Dade County was in 2001 for child neglect or abuse following an arrest in Sunny Isles Beach.

Miller, known by aliases including “Peppy Miller,” “Pappy Stevens” and “Renee Morales,” has spent time in state prison after various Miami-Dade convictions, including for grand theft, credit card fraud and organized fraud.

She was on probation for a 2025 grand theft conviction at the time of her latest arrest on Friday, records show.

As of Monday afternoon, Miller was being held without bond in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

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About The Author
Chris Gothner

Chris Gothner

Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.