NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio — A pair of purse thieves were bagged by North Ridgeville police officers Friday.
Around 9:45 a.m., officers received a call from a woman who had just had her purse stolen at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, according to police.
Due to previous reports of theft in the area, police immediately had a suspect. Officers had the suspect’s information and vehicle description from the previous thefts committed in North Ridgeville and surrounding areas, police said.
Officers knew the suspect’s motive from the previous thefts and assumed she would be headed to a nearby store to buy gift cards with stolen credit cards as she had in the past, according to police.
The North Ridgeville Police Department scanned the area, checking stores the suspect was known to frequent and spotted her vehicle leaving a Speedway gas station on Lorain Road, police said.
Officers stopped the vehicle and found the stolen items inside, according to police.
Robin Smith, 56, and her son Marcus Smith, 35, were arrested and later charged with multiple counts of felony and misdemeanor theft, multiple counts of misuse of credit cards and possession of drug abuse instruments, police said.
