SAFFORD -Authorities are looking for a man who took a purse from a shopping cart in the Walmart parking lot last Monday afternoon.
A Safford police officer responded to the report of the theft at approximately 2:20 p.m. When the officer arrived, the victim explained that after shopping that day, she had accidentally left her purse in her shopping cart in the parking lot. The woman left and began driving home when she remembered she had forgotten her purse in the parking lot.
When the victim returned, her purse was gone. She then contacted Walmart’s loss prevention office. The officer was shown video footage where a black car could be seen pulling into the parking space the victim had previously parked in where the purse was left in the shopping cart. An older man got out of the vehicle and grabbed the purse and put it into his vehicle. The man then continued to go inside the store. The officer obtained pictures of both the vehicle and driver.
The victim stated her purse contained her cell phone, bank cards with account numbers, $54 cash, and her house keys. The officer provided the woman with a victims rights form and with preliminary guidance on securing her accounts and personal information.
Charges are pending as authorities try to identify and locate the alleged thief.
