INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Surveillance cameras at an Oakland County Kroger captured every moment as a woman noticed an 80-year-old shopper’s purse left unattended, snatched it up and took it into the bathroom, police said.
The incident happened around 3:45 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 24) at the Kroger store on Sashabaw Road in Independence Township, according to Oakland County deputies.
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You can see the surveillance footage at the bottom of this page.
Deputies said an 80-year-old Chicago woman who was staying with her daughter in Springfield Township had finished shopping and was waiting for her daughter to meet her at the front of the store.
While she waited in the vestibule with her groceries, the woman placed her purse on the window ledge, police said. She forgot to grab the purse when she took the groceries out to the car, according to officials.
The woman realized minutes later that she had forgotten her purse, so her daughter went inside to retrieve it, authorities said. That’s when she realized it was gone.
Surveillance video shows a woman walking into the store, spotting the purse and looking around to see if anyone was watching. She walks over, puts the purse around her shoulder and continues inside, the video shows.
The 80-year-old’s daughter told the store manager about the theft, and the manager recalled seeing a woman walk into the bathroom with a purse matching the description, police said.
Surveillance video from another hallway shows the same woman who grabbed the purse off the window ledge taking it inside the women’s bathroom. Minutes later, she exited the bathroom without the purse, video footage shows.
The purse was found in the corner of that bathroom, and $100 was missing, according to authorities.
“We know that oftentimes thieves use grocery stores as a target of opportunity to steal purses,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. “It’s a sad reminder that there are people like that hovering and waiting to find a victim, but a good reminder. We ask for the public’s help to hold this person accountable.”
Oakland County deputies are asking for the public’s help identifying the woman who took the purse.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office at 248-858-5001.
