Man, woman sought in purse theft

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is searching for a man and woman who they say stole another woman's purse from her car and headed to the store to start swiping her credit cards in early June.

Officers were called to the 15700 block of Spotted Saddle Circle at 11:40 a.m. June 2. They said the victim's purse was stolen from her car during the overnight hours.

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The two suspects were caught on camera at the Wal-Mart on Normandy Boulevard. Police said the couple unsuccessfully tried to buy items at the Wal-Mart and were caught on camera as they walked out. Cameras were also able to capture a picture of the couple's truck, a white Dodge pickup truck with an extended cab.

The thief used the victim's credit/debit card the same morning at several businesses, police said.

According to police, the woman tried two transactions, both of which were declined.

Channel 4's Crime Analyst, Ken Jefferson took a look at the surveillance pictures Tuesday night. Jefferson said the victim in this case did the right thing, because by the time they tried to use the victim's credit cards, she had already canceled them.

"They expect to get a rejection eventually because they know once the person notices it's gone, they're going to call and cancel those cards," said Jefferson. "What you need to remember is once a thief steals those cards, they're immediately going to use them because it has a very short life ahead of them."

Jefferson said the one mistake the female victim of this crime madw was to leave her purse that contained her wallet inside her car. According to police, the woman's purse was visible. Jefferson said he's not surprised that the crooks broke into the car.

"This is a crime of opportunity and the victim gave the suspect the opportunity to break the window and take the purse. A dishonest person can do that. They can not walk by and not steal it. The best rule of thumb is that you can not leave anything out, even if your car is locked. If it's visible, you're vulnerable," said Jefferson.

Anyone with any information on the identities of the man and woman is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.