Local News
DEFACs Goes After Purse Snatcher
By
Jul 31, 2008, 01:00

When Division of Family and Children Services employees saw a juvenile snatch a purse in the K-Mart parking lot, there was no hesitation as they piled out of their office and took off after him.

On Wednesday afternoon, a juvenile approached a 66 year old female in the garden center and asked her for money to buy a drink.  She only had 75 cents and gave it to him.  The victim later saw the juvenile again, and offered him more money for his drink.

Seems to me this 15 year old kid has to be pretty heartless to snatch this lady's purse, but that is what happened.  She was handing him money and he dropped it.  She bent over to pick it up and the little jerk grabs her purse and takes off across the parking lot.

Melissa Cundiff tells the story

In the DEFACs office, they saw the snatch.  Melissa Cundiff and Ed Boyd came out the front door while Melinda Griffin and Nicki Lott headed out the back.

The kid came out of his shoes as he ran by their offices.   Melissa Cundiff, with every intention of catching the thief, kicked off her shoes so she would not be slowed.

They chased him into to wooded area behind their offices but lost him.  Phillip Richardson got into his truck and headed him off at the end of Powell Street, where they eventually found the purse dropped.

Public Safety surrounded the area, but, in a thorough search of the wooded area, did not find him.  Over $400 was missing from the Attapulgus woman's purse.